Twelve and Counting
by KISS1971
Summary: House's secret of raising his 12 year old son that Cuddy placed for adoption is out. Now they are racing against the clock to save young Braeden's life, and the methods they use could destroy any future they may have had together.
1. Chapter 1: Room 313

**A/N: This is my first House fanfic and I'm just a little nervous; but I decided to go for it anyway! This first chapter is short, but I have a tendency to go for really long chapters, but I'm going to leave that up to you guys. So please read and let me know what you think.**

**Chapter One: Room 313**

Dr. Allison Cameron looks at the envelope in her hands and sighs. Next day priority mail, urgent must be opened at once, written in bright orange marker all over the envelope. It was addressed to Dr. Gregory House; no surprise there. She glances at the 15 pink phone messages all from a Dr. Richard Ogden that had come for House in the last two hours, all marked urgent. Then she looks at the whiteboard and the instructions that had been written there since the first day she had started working for House. Number One: If you need me, call my cell or page me! Number Two: Never call my house! Number Three: Never come to my house!

It was then that she notices the phone ringing in his office, and she made a mad dash to answer it.

"Dr. House's office," she answers politely.

"This is Dr. Ogden, I'm assuming that Dr. House is still not there," he says gruffly.

"I'm sorry Dr. Ogden, he hasn't come in yet or called for that matter," she replies. Cameron is not sure why she's sorry, but the poor man sounds really flustered. "Have you tried his cell phone or pager?"

"More times than I care to remember," he says on a huff. "I don't mean to take this out on you, but it is a matter of life and death, A 12 year old boy's life hangs in the balance while I'm trying to reach Dr. House. As soon as you see or hear from him, I implore you to have him call me."

"Most certainly Dr. Ogden," Cameron assures him hanging up the phone. She's wondering who is the twelve year old boy as they have no case. Maybe House is working on a consult for Dr. Ogden. Maybe she should ask Dr. Wilson if he has seen or heard from House; she didn't want to have to talk to Dr. Ogden again without more information for the man.

As she was turning to leave the office and head off in search of Wilson; both him and House come walking down the hall in the company of Dr. Cuddy. Cameron turns to intercept them as they head into the conference room.

"Dr. House, I have several urgent messages from a Dr. Richard Ogden, as well as this overnight package," she interrupts him as he is about to say something to Cuddy. She can tell that they're having yet another verbal spat; probably about the fact that he's late again. "He says it's a matter of life and death, and that you need to call him at once."

Cameron sees all the blood drain from not only House's face, but Wilson's as well. She glances over at Cuddy and she's the woman looking questioningly at House. Wilson and House glance at each other and then House leans heavily on his cane and takes a deep breath.

"I'll call him from my office," he says quietly. He leaves the conference room and walks as quickly as he can into his office. Cuddy gives him a look and an exasperated sigh. She glances at Wilson but he shakes his head indicating that he's going to wait for House. She acknowledges his decision and leaves, heading for her own office. Cameron gives up on trying to figure out what is going on and makes coffee; she knows House is going to want some soon.

House indicates for Wilson to sit as he dials the phone number from the messages and puts it on speaker. He turns the volume down so that only he and Jimmy can hear.

"Plainsboro Pediatric Center," says a light female voice

"This is Dr. House for Dr. Ogden."

"Please hold Dr. House."

It seems to take forever before the phone is once again answered, this time by a gruff male voice. "Dr. House, you're not an easy man to catch up with. It is pretty much as you suspected; he has aplastic anemia." Dr. Ogden's voice is subdued knowing that the news he was delivering was harsh and knowing that the man on the other end of the line was dying a little, hearing that his diagnosis was correct.

"How bad?" House asks in a voice almost completely devoid of emotion.

"Severe; he's going to need a bone marrow transplant eventually. Obviously the sooner the better. Right now he needs to be hospitalized, a full work up done, blood transfusions, immunosuppressant therapy, and no I don't know what is causing it." The man says on a heavy sigh. "Are you going to bring him here?"

"No," House says looking at Wilson. James shakes his head agreeing with his decision. "I'll have him admitted here at PPTH and have you kept abreast of his treatment and progress."

"I understand your desire to have him remain close to you where you can be more involved in his treatment. Let's set up a phone conference for every Thursday afternoon so we can all stay abreast of things," Dr. Ogden suggested.

"Sounds good to me," House agrees and disconnects the call. He leans back in his chair, rubbing his forehead as if to ward off an unwanted headache.

"You want me to get this all set up?" Wilson asks, bring Houses' attention back to the present.

"Yeah," House replies in a monotone voice. Wilson looks at him and knows that this could very well shatter his friend. He knows House has no defenses built up for this scenario and wonders if he might actually be forced to violate the man's trust to save him.

"Don't even think about it James," House says to him. Jimmy looks up to see House staring at him with those electric blue eyes. "He's under your care and your's only. Now wouldn't be the time to put our friendship on the line." Jimmy knows he's dead serious on this, and he's afraid that he may be put in a situation where he will have to disregard what House wants.

"Alright, I'll get all the paperwork done and have a room ready when you get back," Wilson says standing up and heading for the door. I'll even run interference for you with Cuddy, not something I relish doing. How long before you get back?"

"I have to go pick him up and take the time to explain to everyone what is going on," House replies grabbing his cane and pushing himself up. "I want to take him to lunch as well so we can talk about this and what is going to happen."

It's a task Jimmy doesn't envy his best friend. He wishes he could go with him; hell he wishes anyone could go with him, but he knows House would reject help from any body under normal circumstances. And this was as far from normal as they could get. He watches the solitary figure limp down the hall, shoulders slumped and he sends up a little prayer that everything would work out in the end.

Dr. Wilson was standing at the nurses' station on the oncology floor filling out patient charts, wondering where in the hell was House. It was well past dinner time and the irascible man had still not shown up. James took a deep breath and let it out slowly; he couldn't blame House, this had to be destroying him.

"Audrey I'm going to grab a bite to eat," Wilson says to the night shift's head nurse. "Page me if House calls or show up."

"You expect Dr. House at the hospital at this time of night?" She asks him with a hint of amusement. Wilson smiles and shakes his head. If House was here at this late hour people would probably fall out from the shock alone.

Just as he was about put his pen down to leave, he felt Audrey tap him on the shoulder. He looked up at her quizzically, following the line of her gaze. The doors to the oncology floor had opened and walking through was House and a tall, lanky boy. House looked at him and Jimmy mouthed the words "Three thirteen", and turned his attention back to Audrey.

"Can you come with me to get this patient settled in?" He asks.

"Sure, but what is Dr. House doing with him?" She asks him as they approach the room that House and the young boy had disappeared into.

"Audrey, this is an extremely delicate situation," Wilson began. "I want you to inform the nurses on your shift that the patient in 313 is to be afford the utmost privacy. No gossiping about him or his family, no unwanted visitors and no one poking around. I want every effort to keep his identity under wraps."

Audrey looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. They had stopped outside the door to room 313 and she couldn't help herself in teasing him just a little; he was taking this way too seriously.

"So who are we harboring inside room 313? Is he a celebrity or a fugitive? I'm leaning more towards fugitive as he is in the company of Dr. House," she says to him with a smile as he shoulders open the door.

"Either of those options would be a lot easier to deal with than this," Wilson replies. Turning to face the occupants of the room, his eyes fall on the lanky boy, with the shock of dark brown hair and electric blue eyes. "Audrey I would like to introduce you to Braeden House."

**If you want more, please let me know. The next chapter is in the works. Thanks for reading**


	2. Chapter 2: Father and Son

**A/N: First I wanted to apologize about no breaks in the story when the action moved. It wasn't until I posted it that I realized that my breaks didn't carry over. So here is chapter 2. I just wanted to warn you that I'll probably not be updating everyday. Just happened to have a couple days off, but tomorrow it's back to J.O.B. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**

Chapter Two: Father and Son

Braeden House watched the shock register on the face of the pretty young nurse who had come in with Uncle Jimmy. She stood rooted to the spot, looking between him and his father. Braeden shifted his attention to his dad, and had to bite back a smile.

"You don't need to stare at him," House sneered at her. "He's not going to sprout horns and a pitchfork and chase you down the hall."

"I'm sorry Dr. House; I'm just surprised. I didn't know you had any children ," Audrey replies. There is no mistaking this boy for anybody but Dr. House's son. He has the same face, same build, eyes, everything about him is House, except the hair. He definitely got the dark locks from someone else.

"Only got the one left. The others ran away, can't really blame them," House remarks. Braeden laughs at his father's cheekiness.

"They didn't all run. I had to pay a couple of them to leave," Braeden says with a straight face.

"Alright you two," Wilson says to the two of them. He wanted to put a stop to their antics before they really got started. They both turned those blue eyes on him, and he had to sigh. This was going to be one hell of a ride. "Braeden change, Audrey all my instructions are in his chart, and House come with me."

"I'm not leaving him," House says in a quiet voice.

"I'm not asking you to desert him, just come with me to your office."

"Dad it's ok," Braden assures him. "Plus I liked to spend a little alone time with Audrey here." House smiles at him and watches the nurse as she shakes her head. Definitely Dr. House's son.

The two friends walk out of room 313 and head off down the hall. Both are silent, lost somewhere in their own thoughts. The hospital is quiet at this late hour and House finds into be actually soothing. When they finally get to his office, he opens the door, letting Jimmy go in ahead of him.

"Cuddy is out for your blood," Jimmy says to him, as House settles in behind his desk.

"She left me several nasty messages. Some of them I'd actually like to see her do to me," House says with a smirk.

"Which one would you like me to start with?" Cuddy asks from the doorway. Both men jump, startled that they had not heard her open the door. Cuddy herself had been surprised to see Jimmy still here, but when she saw House she nearly died of shock.

"And the devil graces us with her presence," House says smiling up at her.

Cuddy ignores House for a moment, shifting her attention to Jimmy. "Why are you still here?"

"Patient who had to be admitted," he replies standing up. "And I'm going to check on him and then head off home. Do you need anything else?" Jimmy directs the question to House.

"Not at the moment, but you might want to swing pass on your way out. She might leave behind blood evidence of my murder," House says.

"Play nice," he replies walking out the door.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Where the hell have you been?" She asks him pointedly.

"Why the hell are you still here?" He asks her, mimicking her voice.

"Stop it House! Don't answer my questions by asking another question," she told him irritated. Something in her tone caught his attention and he looked up quickly making eye contact with her. He could see she was tired, probably even exhausted. She was rubbing her temples and he knew she was fighting a migraine.

"I had a family emergency," he replies, his tone softening. He levers himself out of his chair, grabs his cane and approaches her.

"I thought you didn't like your family," Cuddy says to him. She watches him approach warily, trying to guess what he was up to. Once he reaches her, he leans his cane against the desk and turns her around by her shoulders. She was about to protest, but his fingers began massaging the tight muscles in her neck. Lisa let out a small moan as her chin titled down to give him better access.

"I don't like my family, but that doesn't keep them from interrupting my life," he replies. "Relax I'm not going to bite, unless you ask," he whispers right next to her ear. Lisa feels his warm breath against the sensitive shell of her ear and has to bite back a sigh. His long fingers continue their relentless massage, moving on to her shoulders.

"House I'm going out of town for a few days, and I want you to be on your best behavior," she says to him. Greg is supporting most of her weight as she has leaned back into him. The feel of her pressed against him is distracting.

"House are you even listening?"

"I heard you," he grumbles. "Going out of town, me on best behavior." Something about her going out of town on this particular weekend grabs his attention, and his eyes fly open.

"Where are you going?" He knows it's the wrong question as soon as the last word leaves his mouth. Cuddy tenses and moves from against him. He immediately misses the warmth of her body pressed against his.

"Just a little ritual I do every year. Kind of like a recharging of the batteries," she says shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. Cuddy thinks about telling him more, but something about the way he is looking at her makes her bite her tongue.

House was about to say something when he is cut off by the ringing of his cell phone. "This better be good," he barks, his eyes never leaving Cuddy's face; until her hears his son's voice.

"Dad are you coming back?" Braeden asks him softly.

"Yeah, I'm on my way," House replies. Closing his phone he looks at Cuddy and sees that the hospital administrator is back in place. "Wilson needs me to come to his rescue. Someone's kid is beating him at Tetris. Says I can even up the odds."

"House, I'll be back Monday," Cuddy says walking with him to the door of his office. "Can you please leave the hospital standing?" She asks him. The small smile on her face holds him spellbound for a moment, then he blinks and it is gone.

"Wouldn't want to make any promises I couldn't keep," he tells her. He watches her walk away, her hips swaying hypnotically, and he wonders what made them mess up something that could have been so good.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

House walked into room 313 to the sight of Wilson laying across the bed and Braeden sitting on his back. The two of them had hooked up the PS2 and were involved in a heated game of FIFA Soccer 2006.

Braeden was dressed in a pair of faded flannel pants and an oversized t-shirt. But nothing could take House's attention from the iv snaking into his arm, delivering blood to his son's battered body. He felt his stomach clench and fear snake through him. He wouldn't let him die; no matter what he had to do, it was as good as done.

"Braeden time for bed," he says a little gruffly. "Go brush your teeth."

"In other words; give me and Uncle Jimmy a little time to talk about you," Braeden says hopping off Jimmy and walking towards the bathroom.

"Cheeky little brat," House says ruffling his hair.

"I come by it honestly," Braeden replies. House watches him go into the bathroom and close the door, giving him and Wilson a little bit of privacy. House turns questioning eyes to his friend.

"We are going to need to do a bone marrow biopsy," Wilson begins knowing exactly what House wants to know. "I'm asking for a Hematologist be assigned to him. While I'm at it, we'll have Fanconi anemia ruled out and pray like hell he doesn't have AML. I'll also need to have your blood drawn to see if you are a match."

"My parents will be here tomorrow, so you can test them too," House replies slumping into the only chair in the room.

"Are you going to tell his mother?" Jimmy asks knowing he is treading into very dangerous territory. He saw the flash of anger that swept across his face to be quickly replaced by one of apathy.

"I don't see why you'd want me to tell her," House says looking directly at him. "I'm still waiting to find out her side of the story."

"You may not have a choice but to tell her," Wilson says not sure why he wants to get into this with him now. "You might not be a match."

"Guess you'd be mad with me if I still didn't feel the need to tell her," House says with just a hint of sarcasm. Wilson looked at him in shock then decided to hit back just below the belt.

"No, but you'd be mad at yourself if instead you had to tell her you were burying her son because you were to selfish of an ass to ask for her help in saving him," Wilson says to him. He almost regrets his words when House looks at him as if he had just sucker punched him. Facing the possibility that his son might die was surely going to kill him.

"He stopped being her son when she..."

"Don't say it House," Wilson barks at him. "You don't have all the answers."

"And you don't always have to be in her corner," he snaps back. They both shut up as they hear the door to the bathroom open and Braeden comes out, dragging the iv pole behind him.

"You guys don't have to stop on my account," Braeden says looking at them impishly. "I could go and see what the nurses are doing, while you two continue to pound on each other."

"So not going to happen," House says pointing his cane at his son. "In bed; tomorrow is going to be a rough day. I have to play nice to grandpa."

"Are you staying?" Wilson asks him as he starts to gather his stuff to leave.

"I told you, I'm not leaving him alone," House replies forcefully.

"Dad you don't have to stay. The nurses will look after me; afterall I am the son of the legendary Dr. Gregory House. Plus sleeping in that chair is so not good for either of us."

"Well I guess we'll both have to suffer through it," House says to him with a smirk.

"I'll see what I can work out that might be a little more comfortable," Wilson says to him. He walks over to Braeden and holds out his fist and the young boy taps it lightly with his own. "Take care of the grouch."

"Sure," Braeden replies as Wilson leaves father and son alone. House looks at his son who is so much like him and wonders if he should have left well enough alone all those years ago. It couldn't be easy be his son, but Braeden never complained.

"You're only a lousy father in your own mind," Braeden says reading his thoughts. "So far in mine you're the best."

"I'm sorry that you're going to have to spend your twelfth birthday stuck here," House says helping his son get comfortable in the bed. He knew a nurse would be in soon to check the boy's vital and start the immunosuppressant drugs.

"Dad we can do Disney World next year," Braeden says to him with an expression that I so familiar. "Because I know you aren't going to let this beat us."

House realized that his son was right. No matter what it took, he would throw everything at this disease, even if it meant swallowing his pride and asking for help from the one person in the world he had never wanted to see again.

**Thanks for reading and if you have a little time leave a review and let me know what you would like to see!**


	3. Chapter 3: Happy Birthday Braeden

**A/N: Hey everybody! I'm so sorry, but this chapter ended up being a lot longer than I planned. I hope you guys still enjoy it! I want to thank everyone who left a review. They have been quite inspirational. This chapter will answer a few questions, and  
create a lot more; but more answers will be coming soon. Please let me know what you think. I love reading your reviews. **

Chapter 3: Happy Birthday Braeden

House was jerked awake by the ringing of his phone. He quickly opened it and told the person on the other end to hold on. He struggles up out of the very uncomfortable chair he had spent the night in, grabbing his and, and limped out of his son's room.

"Yeah," he barked into the phone. He was beyond grouch not having his morning Vicodin and coffee.

"House, I just talked to Wilson and he told me what's going on. Do you want me to come there," a female voice sounded in his ear.

"I'm going to kill Wilson one day," House growls. "No Stacy, I don't need you here. Wouldn't want to upset your happy home."

"House don't be an ass," she replies. "I left you, not Braeden, I still love him, and I'd be devastated if anything happens to him."

"I know Stacy," House mumbles. "There really is nothing you can do." House rubs his hand through his hair, spiking it in every direction. Several of the nurses are looking at him with looks varying between amazement and shock. Well the rumor mill was still up and functional.

"Are you going to tell her?" She asks quietly.

"Why does everyone want me to run and tell her now," House nearly shouts into the phone. "Did Wilson put you up to this?"

"House she deserved to know from the beginning, but I actually do understand why you don't feel that way," Stacey says to him on a sigh. "But things are different now. He is her son and he could die. Maybe she doesn't deserve to know him, but he sure as hell deserves the opportunity to meet her. Let Braeden decide."

"He's not going to die," House emphasizes.

"I know you'll do everything to see that he doesn't, and I sure as hell hope he doesn't, but that doesn't change the facts. He's sick and there are no guarantees; let him decide House," Stacy says quietly.

"Look House, if you need anything call me," Stacy implores him. "I sent the twerp's birthday present to your parents place. Please give him a hug for me and tell him I plan to kick his ass the next time we play Smackdown."

"You are so violent, and I do believe the twerp trounced you last time. Thanks Stacy and I'll have him call you later," and with that House closes his phone and leans up against the wall to his son's room. He watches as the nurses from the night shift leave and the day shift nurses begin tending to their patients. He's not sure how long he stands against the wall, but the grumble from his stomach and the insistent ache from his leg propel him into action.

Back in Braeden's room he checks to make sure the boy was still sleeping. Braeden slept like the dead, and House knew that is was best to let him wake up on his own. The boy could be a real grouch if you woke him up. He scrawled a note letting him know that he was off to get some breakfast and check in with the ducklings. As he was leaving a nurse was coming in.

"Good morning Dr. House," she greets him warily.

"He won't bite, but I might," House barks at her. "Is this all over the hospital yet?"

"I heard about it on the elevator up this morning," she replies. She didn't take offense at his last comment. In actuality she felt it was a little tame for Dr. House, but he was under a considerable amount of stress.

"This really sucks," he says looking back over his shoulders towards his sleeping son.

"Dr. House, go and get something to eat. I'll stay with him until you return," she tells him.

"I need to check in with my team," he says to her offer. He turns his electric blue gaze onto her face and Kelsey is struck by the depth of emotion she can see in them. She places a hand on his arm in a show of empathy.

"Dr. House let your team find you; it won't be that difficult for them to do so. Either way I'll stay with him until you return." Kelsey says quietly.

"Thank you," House replies. She watches him limp down the hallway, stunned by the almost human emotions he had just shown her.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dr. Lisa Cuddy sits in a restaurant in Boston watching as her sister approaches their table. They do this every year; come to Boston, have lunch, spend a few days together and then part until next year. It is the event that binds them together. They see each other at family gatherings around all the major holidays, but this event is one they only share with each other.

"Hey Lise," her sister greets her, leaning down to give her a light kiss on her cheek. "How you doin'?"

"Tired and just about unable to continue doing this," Lisa answers her honestly. There was a time when this was therapeutic for her, but after not being able to get pregnant last year, this has become a torture from hell.

"Then maybe we should stop doing this," Rachel says to her, as she takes a seat across from her sister. Rachel reaches over and takes Lisa's hand in hers. "If this isn't helping, then we shouldn't continue. I hate for you to be hurting. I know you want a child, and I know you feel like that is never going to happen. But you are the strongest woman I know and when you figure out another way, you'll see this desire to fruition."

Lisa swiped at the tears that had begun to fall. Her sister was the only person she allowed to see her cry, which was why Rachel was the only one involved in these trips to Boston.

"Thank you for understanding how hard all of this is for me, and not thinking that I've totally lost my mind," Lisa says squeezing her sister's hand.

"Oh I still think you're crazy. Are you going to ask him?" Rachel queries while glancing over the menu.

"I don't relish putting myself in a position for him to exploit me," Lisa says shaking her head.

"He's the only one who has ever been successful," Rachel points out.

"And you think that is a mark in his favor?" Lisa chuckles.

"You can't tell me that didn't catapult him to the top of your list. Plus I know for a fact that you enjoyed the time you spent with him. For God's sake you didn't let him leave your bed for a week."

"Actually that was his doing," Lisa smiles. "But it still didn't keep us from having one hell of an argument, and I believe he said he never wanted to see me again," she says arching an eyebrow at her sister.

"That's only because he couldn't have what he wanted. You know what you need to do," Rachel says matching her sister's expression. "Get him drunk and have your way with him."

Lisa couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of her, and it wasn't long before Rachel joined her; drawing curious stares from other patrons. It was what Lisa needed to break her somber mood and enjoy her mini vacation with her sister.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When House got back to his son's room, it was to find it packed with people. His parents had arrived and were chatting with Wilson and an unknown female wearing a lab coat. He hadn't been able to find the ducklings, and that was because they were camped out in here. Braeden, Chase and Foreman were playing a rousing game of WWE Smackdown. Even though Braeden had plenty of company, Kelsey had stayed true to her promise and was still there. She met House's eyes and slipped quietly from the room.

Cameron caught sight of House standing by the door and made her way over to him. House sighed knowing that he wouldn't be able to make good on an escape.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a son," she hisses at him as if his secret child was a personal affront to her directly.

"Let me see," he replies tilting his head to the side. "Maybe I didn't want you to know about him. Yup that sounds about right." He limps away thinking that Cameron had way to high of an opinion about herself in relation to him.

"Greg darling, we were wondering when you would make your way back," his mother says to him. She comes over to him and takes his hands, lightly kissing his cheek. "Be nice to your father, he's taking this very hard." She looks pointedly at him, and House shifts like he's been caught doing something wrong.

"I'm glad you guys made it here so quickly," he says including his dad in the conversation. "Did you get settled at my place?"

"I hope you don't mind too much, but we checked into a hotel that is close to here," his father says looking at him. House had always considered his father a mediocre parent at best, but he couldn't fault him as a grandfather. The man's world practically revolves around his three grandsons. Not a single day goes by that his dad doesn't either call Braeden or ims him.

"No that would be great here for the twerp," House says glancing briefly at Braeden.

He notices that there is a new bag hanging on the iv pole, this one filled with platelets. House takes a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. He absolutely hates the feelings that wash through him that he can't fix his son as easily as fixes some of his own patients. He feels his son's small hand slip into his own, but when he glances down at him, Braeden's eyes are still glued on the video game action.

"House this Amy Weber," Wilson says drawing his attention to the blond haired woman in the lab coat. "She is a Hematologist and she will be helping with Braeden's care."

"I've drawn blood from your parents and I'll need a sample from you," she says taking out the necessary supplies. "I'll be honest, his best chances would with a sibling donor. Is that possible?"

"He's an only child," House replies.

"What about his mother?" She asks as she wipes the alcohol pad across his skin. Everyone in the room goes still at the question, wondering how House is going to respond.

"I'd rather not discuss that right now," he says giving Amy a hard look. She nods her understanding and slips the needle in gently.

"Your sister and Mark will be here tomorrow," his mother says to him, when Amy is done taking his blood. "She's bringing the boys so maybe that would be an option?"

"I'll talk to her," House says. "Alright people, I'm sure that at least three of you have work that needs to be attended to," he says looking at the ducklings. "Mom, dad go get something to eat, and Wilson you can leave too. Me and mini-me here need to have us a little chat."

Everyone filed quite nosily out of the room, with Braeden extracting promises from Chase and Foreman to come back later (when House wasn't looking) so that they could continue their game. Just as the room was almost clear Kelsey came back in to give Braeden his meds and leave a breakfast tray for him.

"Alright Dad; what do we need to talk about it," Braeden says, settling back against his pillows. He looked at the breakfast tray and frowned his face at the unappetizing food. "It must be at least a little important for you to have cleared the room."

"Birthday plans," House replies lowering himself into the chair by the bed. "Connie says that many of your friends have left messages at the house that they still would like to help you celebrate. So I wanted to know how you felt about pizza, cake, ice cream and whatever else here in the lounge?"

"Sounds great! Can we get beer?" Braeden asks him with a crooked grin.

"Sure why not. My boss is not here, she'll never know," House says matching his son's crooked grin.

"I know this was not all about my birthday; so spill it Dad."

"I was wondering how you'd feel if I gave you a different sort of gift than what I've already bought you?"

"Like what exactly?" Braeden asks, his attention caught by the seriousness in his father's tone.

"Would you like to meet your mother?" House holds his breath watching the war of emotions play across his son's young face.

"Dad, am I going to die?" Braeden asks in a small voice. House feels the air rush out of him as if he'd just been hit in the gut.

"Braeden why would you ask that?'

"I can't think of any other reason you'd be willing to introduce me to her, after you refuse to even speak her name to me," he replies in a very quiet voice.

"Son I can't promise you that you won't die," House says approaching this very painful topic. "I can promise you that I will do everything within my power to give you a fighting chance, but there is still a chance that everything we do might not work. I want to give you the opportunity to meet the woman who brought you into this world. For so long I felt that it was my decision to make, but I realize that now it's up to you. If you want to meet her, I will make it happen."

"I want to meet her, but I don't want to hurt you," Braeden says. House realizes that his son is still very much a child; looking out for the feelings of others instead of his own.

"Son it would hurt me more if I didn't give you this," House says taking his son's hand.

"Then yes; I want to meet her," Braeden says.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

The week-end had rushed by quickly and although Lisa was not due to return to the hospital until Monday morning, she couldn't bring herself to stay home. Her only concession to it not being a regular work day was casual clothing. She didn't think many of her employees had ever seen her in a pair of jeans, and if they did she was sure they would drop dead. That thought brought a small smile to her face.

The administration side of the hospital was quiet for a Sunday with most of the doctors being off and the clinic closed. She let herself into her office and began powering up her computer and going through her phone messages. After several long minutes of listening to messages and separating files into stacks of importance, Cuddy decides to go grab a drink and something to eat. She knows the hospital café is open for visitors and begins to make her way to the elevator.

"Dr. Cuddy?"

"Yes," she responds automatically. She looks up and sees that they elevator has arrived and a nurse is looking at her expectantly.

"I'm sorry," Cuddy replies stepping into the elevator car. "Too much on my mind."

"Are you headed up to the birthday party?" The nurse asks.

"Birthday party?" Cuddy asks.

"A party for a young patient of Dr. Wilson's on the third floor," the nurse replies. "I hear the place is packed, as the party is open to anyone who'd like to stop by."

"No I was headed for the café, but a party sounds a little more inviting," she replies reaching over and pressing the button for the third floor just in time.

When the elevator doors slide open, Cuddy is assailed by the sound of loud music and the voices of what must be over a hundred people. She hopes the other patients aren't being inconvenienced by all the racket. As she walks down the hall towards the lounge, she notices that most of the rooms are empty, and those that are occupied have people with plates and cups that must be from the party.

Once she reaches the lounge, she is amazed by the number of people in the room. There are tons of kids and balloons everywhere. The presents were stacked on several tables and on the table closes to the door was a huge cake that said Happy Birthday Braeden. Cuddy shook her head a little and glanced around the room once again. There were a few girls but most of the kids were boys roughly ten to twelve years old. She swayed on her feet a little and decided it was time to go.

As she turned to leave she caught sight of House's team and wondered what were they doing at a kid's birthday party on a Sunday. She'd be sure to ask them in the morning. Stepping through the lounge doors, Cuddy runs right into Wilson. He reaches out and grabs her arms to keep her from falling.

"Sorry Cuddy. I didn't see you there," Wilson says to her glancing into the lounge. He turns his attention back to Cuddy and notices that she is pale and shaking. "Are you alright?" He asks concern lacing his voice.

"Just a little tired, and there is a mad crush in there; not enough air," Cuddy replies gesturing over her shoulder. "That must be one popular patient you have Wilson.

"Yeah you can't help but love the little twerp," Wilson says affectionately. "Why don't you come in and meet him."

"No, I've still got several things to do before I leave," Cuddy says with just a hint of panic in her voice.

"Alright then, but I better get in there. I think it's present time," Wilson says sounding like a little kid himself. Cuddy smiles at him as he slips into the room where everyone has taken to singing happy birthday. Lisa quickly moves back down the hall heading towards her office.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Cuddy's in the building," Jimmy says into House's ear, once he managed to get close enough. After the cutting of the cake, all the kids surround Braeden as he starts in on his gifts.

"Quick hide the hookers; and stop nibbling on my ear Jimmy," House says to him wickedly

"She's upset about something and trying to hide it," Wilson informs him.

"Probably the fact that she isn't going to be planning any birthday parties herself since the inseminations failed," House replies. He is only half paying attention to his son ripping paper off his gift. His thoughts have strayed to his boss and she's occupying a lot of his upper brain power; could be because all the blood was rushing south.

"You should take her a piece of cake," Wilson tells him, handing him a plate with a huge chunk of cake already on it. House looks at his friend and takes the plate from him. He knows that Jimmy will break up the party soon, as both notice Braeden getting pale and tired. It was a long exhausting day for the boy and he'd need to crash soon. House nods to his friend and limps from the room.

Before he knows it he's standing outside of the door to Cuddy's office. With less staff in the building his wait for the elevator was way too short. He takes a deep breath, opens the door and steps through. What he sees almost makes him drop the cake.

Cuddy is wearing a pair of jeans that fit her so well, that Greg has to bite back a groan. He can't see the front of her shirt as she is turned facing the window, but he bets that although it is casual, it has a deep v-neck to entice him to look at her breast. Her hair falls down her back in soft waves that makes him want to grab a handful. God the woman was sexy as hell, and she was killing him.

He then notices the tense way she's holding her body and her shoulders shake a little with each breath she takes. Lisa Cuddy was crying, and even in private she was doing so quietly.

"You're missing a great party," he says into the quiet. Cuddy gasps at the sound of his voice, never expecting to hear it the hospital on a week-end.

"House leave me alone," she tells him, hoping he doesn't notice the chocked quality to her words.

"No can do. I brought you cake; and it seems a shoulder to cry on," he replies moving to sit the cake on her desk.

"I don't want the cake," she says with a hint of steel creeping back in. "I just want you to go."

"Come on Cuddy, we all need to share our secrets with someone at sometime," he says turning her around and pulling her into his arms. Cuddy doesn't know how a man with a cane can move a quietly as he does.

"You're not the one I want to share my secrets with." And what are you doing here on a Sunday?" She asks pulling back to look into his eyes. What she sees there frightens her. She caught a glimpse of anger that was quickly replaced by his normal sardonic expression.

"Great party going on downstairs. Beer, hookers, presents, great way to celebrate turning twelve if you ask me," he responds with a huge suggestive grin. "Plus everyone was invited, so I thought what the hell. I forgot to give the birthday kid his present, so I'm heading back down before I leaving."

"I think I'm on my way out as well," Cuddy says. "My mind just doesn't seem to be on work."

"I knew you thought about me." He watches as she rolls her eyes at, but he can't help the feeling of satisfaction as his words bring a small smile to her lips.

"You wish House."

"Come on; walk with me so I can drop this gift off, and then I'll take you out for a drink," he says pulling her towards the door. Cuddy panics and tries to dig in her heels.

"House, I really don't want to," she protests. "I just want to go home."

"It will only take a second, and then we'll blow this place," he whines. "Or blow something

else." She watches him grin suggestively, and hits him on his arm. She's tired and really doesn't want to go back to the party, but a drink sounds good, even if it is with House.

"You buying?" She asks him.

"If that's what it will take for you to accompany me on my gift giving mission," he replies knowing that he has won this round.

"Alright then let's get this done." She allows him to pull her onto the elevator, and grins when he doesn't release her and, even when she tugs a little.

"What's wrong with Dr. Wilson's patient?" She asks looking over at House.

"Aplastic anemia," House tells her in a very small voice.

"How bad?" Cuddy asks.

"Very severe. He's going to need a transplant, but right now he is responding to transfusions and drug therapy," House replies. Wilson and Amy had told them yesterday that none of them were a match, and House had felt like his world had caved in.

"Why is he under Wilson's care?" She asks. "I know that eventually if there is a matched donor he'll need chemotherapy and then the transplant, but why Wilson?"

"Something about the boy's father being a good friend of Jimmy's," House says nonchalantly. As the elevator comes to a stop on the third floor, House tugs Cuddy out of the elevator.

"I'm glad to see that the music has been stopped," Cuddy remarks as they are greeted with silence.

"I think the party broke up for the most part a short time ago," he says as the doors to the ward swing open. "When we go get that drink, we're going to need to be someplace private."

"Why?" Cuddy frowns.

"There's going to be some yelling, definitely name calling, and a very small outside chance that someone is going to hit something," he says as he stops them in front of room 313.

"Why would all that happen?" She asks him in confusion. Then understanding dawns on her face and she growls deep in her throat. "What the hell have you done House? Please tell me you really didn't bring any beer or hookers to a kid's party!"

"Hey, his dad was cool with it," House replies in his defense.

"I don't care if his parents signed a consent form, I'll kill you for this," she hisses right in his face. House takes a deep breath and resists the urge to pull her closer. Her cheeks were deep red with her anger and her nostrils flared slightly. Good God she was sexy, and he was getting excited just being this close to her.

"Calm down Cuddy, there were no hookers or beer," he says opening the door and stepping through, pulling her with him. "It doesn't change the fact that you and I are headed for one hell of an argument," he tells her, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. "I can't promise that when this is over, I'll want to set eyes on you again Cuddy."

"You've already said that to me once," Cuddy spit back at him.

"That was Lisa I was talking to that day, not you," he growls. Cuddy takes a step back at the depth of his anger. She's only seen him like this once, and she almost hadn't recovered from that experience, she couldn't do it again.

"I think I better leave," she says backing towards the door.

"Like hell you will," he says reaching out and grabbing her arm in a bruising grip. "I promised him and you are NOT going to run this time lady!"

"House what's going..." She begins, tears threatening to fall. Her arm hurts where he is holding it in a viselike grip, and her heart is near to breaking at the way he's looking at her; as if she was something he wouldn't waste his time with.

House took a few moments to try and compose himself. He had promised both Jimmy and his parents he would hold onto his anger until later, but everything was crashing on him now and he was close to breaking. After taking a few deep breaths, he was able to banish the red haze that had colored his vision, His hands had stopped shaking, and the urge to kill the woman in his grip had subsided.

"Ok, I apologize now for anything I've said in the past five minutes, but after the next 30 minutes all bets are off," and with that House knocks on the door to the bathroom.

"I thought we were here to deliver a birthday gift," Cuddy says, still feeling shocked and confused by House's behavior.

"We are sweetheart," House tells her with a small grin. The door opens slowly letting more light spill into the main room which was only lit by the light over the bed. Cuddy watches as a tall, lanky boy dressed in jeans and a red t-shirt walks out of the bathroom. His head is down and the only thing she can see is the top of his head.

"Hey twerp, head up," House says gently into Braeden's ear, trying to pull boy's chin up off his chest. "You can't meet her while your looking at the ground."

"I know, but I'm scared," Braeden whispers keeping his chin firmly down against his chest.

"So am I buddy, and if you ever tell anyone, I'll deny it," he says getting a smile out of his son.

"Alright then, let's do it," Braden says meeting his father's gaze. House shakes his head and they both look at Cuddy.

"Cuddy, I promised this young man that if the opportunity to meet his mother presented itself on his birthday, then I'd do everything to see that it happened," House says placing his arm around Braeden's shoulders. Lisa gasps as two sets of identical blue eyes, set in identical faces, gaze at her. "So please let me introduce you to my son Braeden Gregory House, and Braeden; this is Dr. Lisa Ann Cuddy, your mother.


	4. Ch 4:12 years, 9 months & 17 days ago

**A/N: First thank you for your reviews. This is the answer to why Cuddy didn't know about House & Braeden. I decided to set it in a flashback first, before House explains it to Cuddy. So you get somewhat of her side as well. I hope you guys enjoy and please review.**

Chapter 4: 12 years 9 months and 17 days ago

_Flashback_

"_Mel, I can't tell him," Lisa told her roommate as the tears fell silently down her cheeks. "I tried; I really tried, but it is just not going to happen. I called him when I first found out, but some woman answered the phone. I didn't let that stop me though; it wasn't like we were a couple or anything."_

"_But it didn't stop you from being hurt, did it?" Mel asked her, already knowing the answer. She had watched her best friend and roommate struggle emotionally over the last 9 months. She watched Lisa place her hand on her large stomach_, _as if needing a connection that was close to Greg._

"_Hearing her voice was like a bucket of cold water being thrown over me," Lisa replied, shaking slightly. "But I was determined so I just asked to speak to Greg. He got on the phone after a few seconds pause, and that was when all hell broke loose." Lisa stopped talking, barely able to swallow around the lump in her throat. Mel watched her and grasped one her friend's hand for comfort._

"_When I spoke, he interrupted me before I could get out what I had called him about," Lisa said in a voice that trembled with emotion. "He told me that not only did he not want to see me, he didn't want to hear my voice either. He was busy trying to erase every memory he ever had of me. He never let me get in another word, and then he slammed the phone down. I sat there stunned and completely devastated. When I tried to call him one more time a few weeks later the number had been changed."_

_Melanie felt a wave of guilt and self hatred roll through her at what she had done. She knew that Greg had changed his number and gone so far as to move to another apartment. Melanie had no idea what he and Lisa had fought about; as neither was willing to share, but she knew that Greg's anger at Lisa seemed to have no bounds. If it wasn't for the fact that Mel was dating his cousin Chris, she wouldn't have been able to talk to him herself. Lisa had no idea that they guy Melanie had been dating for almost a year was Greg House's cousin; and for some reason she didn't want to examine to closely, Mel hadn't told her._

"_You haven't tried to contact him since Rachel gave you the new number and address?" Mel asked tentatively._

"_No, what would be the point," Lisa said her shoulder's slumping. "I'm still going through with the adoption. I have to finish med school, and Greg is knee deep in his residency. Neither one of us the ability to take care of a baby right now. Plus Greg would probably find some way to blame this one me, and that would make everything worse," Lisa said as the tears once again ran down her cheeks._

"_I'm through with this; I've made my decision. The agency liaison has assured me that the couple adopting Braeden is wonderful. They have an adopted boy who is four and they have a huge house with plenty of grass for the boys to play. They're financially secure and have been married for 18 years. He won't want for anything and this is the best I can do for him now." Lisa said looking at Mel imploringly._

"_I know you've agonized over this decision Lisa," Mel replied. "You've gone so far as to name him, but are you really ok with not telling the man who fathered him that he is even going to be a father?"_

"_Greg wants nothing to do with me and that would include this baby," Lisa said fiercely. "I won't let him destroy my child just so he could have some sort of revenge on me. This is the BEST thing for Braeden. To hell with Dr. Gregory House."_

"_Alright Lisa, I'm done hounding you," Mel said rubbing her friend's hand. "I'm just so worried about you, and how you're going to pull through this."_

"_I'll be fine. This last year of med school will keep me way to busy to think about anything else. And knowing that Im doing the right thing for my child has managed to settle any doubts that I've had." Lisa said. _

_Mel heard the note of pain in her friend's voice, and knew that Lisa was not really ok with this decision. Mel also hadn't been able to convince Greg to talk to Lisa. He had given Mel permission to give Lisa his contact information after she had told him that Lisa was pregnant with his baby. He wanted to see if Lisa would try and call him one more time, but she hadn't as far as Mel knew. And that left Gregory House pissed._

"_Ah Mel, it's time to get out of here!" Lisa exclaimed standing up suddenly._

"_What's wrong?"_

"_My water just broke," Lisa replied._

_&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&_

"_This is the name of the agency handling the adoption," Chris Jenkins said handing apiece of paper to his cousin. Greg House looked down at the offending piece of paper trying to keep his temper in check._

"_Did she..." Greg stopped looking at his cousin._

"_She terminated her parental rights this morning," Chris confirmed. "She had four days after the birth to change her mind. So now it's up to you. If you don't do anything, he'll be released later on today into the care of the couple trying to adopt him. Since Lisa did not list a father, although she named him, a petition to terminate the rights of all reasonable parties will be presented before a judge."_

"_I have a son?" Greg asked his cousin, as if this was the first time he was hearing it._

_Chris smiled at the dumb expression on his cousins face. Their mothers were sisters and they themselves were on 3 weeks apart in birth. The two of them were fiercely competitive with each other, but Chris had to admit that he had always admired his cousin's quick wit. Right now though he was a stunned man who just realized that he had a son. Chris was actually glad now that he was a part of this; no matter that his fiancee was agonizing over her part._

"_Yeah, a boy," Chris confirmed. "Braeden Gregory Cuddy; 8lbs 7 ounces 23 inches, born at 2:43 am October 30, 1995," Chris said with a smile, handing Greg another slip of paper._

"_You're sure he's mine?" Greg asked tensely_

"_The paternity test was 99.99 percent accurate," Chris replied handing him another set of papers from the briefcase he was holding. "He's your son Greg."_

"_What do suggest?" Greg asked looking bemused._

"_That depends on wether or not you want your son," Chris said._

"_Hell yes I want him," Greg said looking up at his cousin. "I don't want someone else to have him; he's mine and I plan to take care of what is mine."_

"_Alright then my man; we've got a lot to do," Chris said clasping Greg on the shoulder. "Let's get my car and hold over to my place."_

"_What are we doing?" Greg asked as the two of them moved towards Chris' sports car._

"_Because I know you so well, I took the liberty of completing most of the paperwork and spending time in the offices a few judges," Chris replied as he pulled out into the heavy Boston traffic. "By the way my mother says you owe her big time."_

"_I'm surprised Aunt Laura is not here herself," Greg said still feeling bemused._

"_Oh don't worry, you get to deal with her and your mother later, as there is a huge bash brewing out at my parent's house," Chris told him chuckling._

"_So what are we doing now?" Greg asked._

"_My place first, where we change, then the adoption agency to serve them with the necessary paperwork, and then the hospital last; where Braeden will be released to you."_

"_I don't have to go to court or legally adopt him myself?" _

"_No. He's your son and his mother has relinquished her parental rights. You're exercising your's so there is really nothing the adoption agency can do," Chris told him as they pulled up in front of his condo. "The Petersons, that is the couple that was going to adopt him, can hire a lawyer and try to fight you on this, but it would really be a losing battle for them."_

"_Then let's do this," Greg said smiling._

_&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&_

"_Is there something I can do for you gentlemen?" A young manning the front desk of The Children's Place Adoption Agency asked the 2 well dressed gentlemen standing in front of her._

"_Yes, my name is Christopher Jenkins, and I'm representing Dr. Gregory House," Chris said indicating his cousin. He handed the receptionist a business card, and watched as she looked between the two of them._

"_We are here to see Mrs.Gilda Wainwright; I believe she is handling the adoption of one Braeden Cuddy," Chris said to her smoothly._

"_I'd be happy to let her know you're here if you gentleman will have a seat," She replied while picking up a phone. It was no more than a few minutes before a middle-aged woman approached them, looking slightly worried._

"_I'm Mrs. Wainwright," she introduced herself holding out her hand to Chris. "What can I do for you gentleman?"_

"_Mrs. Wainwright, I believe it would be best if we went somewhere private," Chris said to her. _

_She looked at the two of them quizzically and then nodded at Chris. "If you'll follow me," she said walking back the way she came. She led them into a small office and offered them a seat, both declined._

"_What exactly can I do for you gentleman?" She asked taking her seat._

"_Under a court order a paternity test was issued for one Baby Boy Cuddy to establish paternity of said child," Chris replied handing her a set of papers._

"_Why was I not notified?" She asked while reading the papers._

"_You didn't need to be informed," Chris told her lightly. "You represent the agency and your clients are the Petersons; no one was representing the birth mother and I am representing the biological father. He didn't have to tell anyone he was trying to determine if he is the child's father."_

"_After the paternity test proved the Dr. House is in fact the father of Baby Boy Cuddy, another petition was placed before the court requesting that if the biological mother terminated her parental rights, that Dr. House's parental rights be instated and custody of Baby Boy Cuddy be granted to him," Chris told her handing her another set of papers. He watched as Mrs. Wainwright began to understand exactly what was happening._

'_So Dr. House has established his paternity and is taking his son?" She asked._

"_Yes, that is what this boils down to," Chris agreed "Baby Boy Cuddy is not available for adoption. Tell your clients whatever you want, but Dr. House will be taking custody of his son from the hospital. This is also a gag order, not allowing you to release any specific details to Lisa Cuddy."_

"_Are you sure this is what you want to do?" Mrs. Wainwright directed her question to House. "You'd be a young single father, struggling with a newborn. The Petersons can offer..."_

"_Don't bother ma'am," House told her. "He's my son and I want him." _

"_Mrs. Wainwright, we're done," Chris said to her. "I apologize for what this may do to your clients." And with that Chris and Greg left the Children's Place Adoption Agency. Neither said a word as they walked to the parking lot and got into House's rental car. Looking in the backseat House noticed a infant car seat and glanced to his cousin._

"_Let's go get you son," Chris smiled at him._

**Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will take us back to current day. Please review if you get a chance.**


	5. Chapter 5: It's In The Blood

**A/N: I want to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews and continuing interest in this story. There are some surprises in this chapter and the next few chapters will prove very interesting for Cuddy & House. So please enjoy and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 5: It's In The Blood

Braeden House stood on his father's left side, with the former resting his hand lightly on his son's shoulder. A quick glance at the woman in front of them told him that she was on the verge of collapse. She was staring at him with eyes the color of a storm swept sky, and in their depths, he saw anger, hurt, betrayal, surprise and the small flare of hope. Her long brown hair was just like his, and Braeden smiles about that; his dad's genes hadn't dominated everything.

He looked at his father, and then back to Lisa Cuddy. His dad's full attention was on Lisa, his body language tense, ready to pounce if she did anything that Greg didn't like. Braeden could tell she wasn't capable of anything at the moment. The rug had been forcibly ripped from under her feet, and this left her confused and vulnerable.

"Dad I hope you didn't do anything stupid," Braeden says capturing House's attention.

"What do you mean?" He queries, looking as his son once again swings his gaze back to Cuddy. Greg could tell she was stunned and he worried that this may have been way too much for her. He was still spoiling for their argument, and he didn't want to have to wait; afterall he had already waited 12 years.

"She's gorgeous dad," Braeden says as if he is addressing an idiot. "And the only thing I can think of as to why your not with her now is because you did something stupid. No man in his right mind would willingly let this woman walk away from him and risk some one else coming along and snatching her up.

House looks at his son as if he would actually like to throttle him. The cheeky little bastard was already taking her side. And it was enough to break the stunned silence that had enveloped Cuddy as the sound of her laughter captured both of their attentions.

"Not only does he look like you, he's brazen like you as well," Cuddy says drinking in the sight of father and son.

"Yeah, but the little cretin rolls his eyes like you programmed it into his DNA," Greg snapped looking at his son. Braeden gave him an impish smile and shrugged his shoulders. "You've got 30 minutes with him, at which time I'm coming back, and then the real fun begins," House says as he limps from the room.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dr. Lisa Cuddy stood staring at the child she had given up for adoption 12 years ago. In every single way he reminded her of a younger Greg House. She drank in the sight of him and felt the tears stinging the back of her eyes.

"Do you want to sit down?" He asks her in a quiet voice. At first all she can do is look at him, and then very carefully she nods her head. Lisa doesn't want to say or do anything that might end their time earlier. He waits until she takes the chair and then Braeden bounds onto the bed.

Looking around the hospital room, Cuddy notices unwrapped gifts covering every surface and many just sitting on the floor. She also notices a large flat screen tv with a game system and more games than any one child could play. But then again thinking about who is his father, she shouldn't be surprised.

"Were you going to open the rest of your gifts," she asks, gesturing around the room.

"I got tired, so Uncle Jimmy had all the unopened ones brought in here," Braeden replies looking at her with earnest blue eyes. Cuddy felt something hard clench around her heart as her conversation with House came racing back into her mind. Braeden was sick; her son was dying from aplastic anemia.

"It's not that bad," he says reaching out to touch her. He stops not sure how she would react to his presumptions, and not wanting her to reject his touch. Lisa sees the fear in his electric blue eyes, and takes his smaller hand in her's. The contact was almost more than Cuddy could bear, and silent tears ran down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he stammers, watching in horror at her tears. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't," she replies smiling at him. He relaxed when seeing her radiant smile and graced her with one of his own.

"So James knows?" She tries not to make it a question, but knows she wasn't successful.

"I can't talk to you about that," he shakes his head. "Not until you talk to Dad first."

"Then what can you talk to me about?" Lisa asks perturbed at House.

"Well I can tell you that I play lacrosse and soccer," he says becoming animated. I love to swim and would like to do competitive diving, but Dad freaks out about it for some reason."

"So you really love sports?" She asks. "What about school?"

At this he grins and cuts her a sly look. "Dad won't let me test out of school. I'm smarter than he is, and that really sticks in his craw; so I'm only allowed to be a part time genius."

"I guess I shouldn't be shocked that your smart; Greg is a veritable intellectual giant," Cuddy mutters.

"Actually he blames you for my intelligence," Braeden informs her with a very serious look. "He takes credit for the athletics and overpowering video game obsession."

Cuddy hadn't seen the baby she gave up for adoption after he was born. She demanded that he be removed from the room immediately following his birth. She knew if she had laid eyes on him, she wouldn't have been able to give him up. As it was she almost backed out at the last moment. Looking at him now, she knew she had made the wrong choice all those years ago. The thought of losing him shortly after meeting him, was an idea she wasn't able to face. God what must Greg be going through.

"I don't envy you for the conversation you're going to have with him," Braeden says, turning solemn eyes on her.

"I guess saying he's mad at me would be a little bit of an understatement," she sighs.

"I think he passed mad six months after I was born," he says dryly. "I'm sure he was angry for a couple of years after that, followed closely by rage for several years."

"Oh God! There's no chance in hell he will ever forgive me," Lisa whispers brokenly.

"At least I got to meet you," Braeden tells her.

"And I'd never trade that for anything," she reassures him. "Your father will probably never let me see you after this."

"That's not fair to you."

"House isn't going to worry about fairness," Lisa informs him.

"It's not fair to me either," he responds. "But then this whole thing wasn't fair to him from the beginning." He levels his gaze on her.

"I thought I was protecting to you," she tries to explain. "I wanted more for you than I believed I could give you at that moment in time."

"I'm not blaming you, nor trying to make you feel bad," he tells her, as he climbs out of the bed. "But he does blame you; not for putting me up for adoption; but for not telling him. He believes you didn't want me, because I was his."

At his last words, Cuddy gasps and looks up into his anxious face. Her son was more worried about how this was going to affect his father, and less about himself. How could a child raised by the Greg House she knew, be so compassionate about the feelings of others.

"He blames that on you too," Braeden smiles, almost as if he can read her thoughts.

"Braeden, it was never about not _wanting_ you," she says touching his hair. She felt encouraged that he did not shy away from her touch. "Nor the fact that you're his son, if anything that made it the hardest choice I ever had to make. "It was about not letting you fall into the middle of what was my relationship with House."

"This may sound really stupid; but before the yelling and fighting begins between you two; tell him he has a son," Braeden advises her.

"I believe he is well aware of that fact," she says arching an eyebrow at him. She laughs out loud as he rolls his eyes at her. She'd bet that must drive House totally insane.

"But he still hasn't heard it from you yet," he tells her in a voice that she can barely hear.

Looking up she spots House in the doorway, and realizes that their 30 minutes are up. It was time to face the music, and it looked like the Devil had brought his fiddle judging by the look on House's face. Cuddy let's go of Braeden's hand and stands up. She reaches down to brush the soft brown curls off his forehead, and leans over to kiss him on his forehead.

"Happy Birthday Braeden," she whispers. He reaches up and lightly caresses her cheek, flashing her the same smile his father uses on her.

Cuddy steps away from the bed, closer to the door, as House limps to the bed. She watches as he helps the boy under the covers, tucking them under his arms. She couldn't hear what they were whispering to each other; but she felt like she was intruding. She decides to leave and let them have some time alone.

"Don't go far," House says to her, not even looking in her direction. "You and I need to talk."

She barely makes it out the door before the tears fall. Lisa hates herself for feeling so weak and vulnerable, especially in front of Gregory House. She was amazed that he'd managed to keep this a secret for so many years, and she was sure that if Braeden hadn't go sick, she still would be none the wiser.

"So where would you like to go for that drink?" House asks from behind her. Cuddy turns and takes in his piercing blue eyes and slightly rigid stance. She'd rather walk through the hospital naked than have this showdown with House.

"I'm thinking neutral territory," she replies trying to hide her trepidation.

"So not my place or yours," he says as he herds her down the hall.

"Is someone going to stay with him?" Cuddy asks looking back towards Braeden's room.

"Is that any of your concern?" He asks bitingly.

Cuddy takes a deep, shaky breath, and stops to face House. "No, it's not my concern. I've no right to ask you anything where he is concerned. Just as I don't have to answer any of your questions about my decisions concerning him. So to hell with your drink, and I hope you have a good night House."

With that said, Cuddy turned on her heel and headed for the stairs. She didn't have the energy to fight with House about the son she gave up for adoption so many years ago. She wanted to know when and how he got involved, but they could do this later; when her emotions weren't all over the place.

"He needs your help," House says to her retreating back. She came to a complete stop, just like he knew she would. She turns around slowly, watching him warily as he approaches.

"No games House," she mutters when he gets close.

"I'm not a match Lisa," he explains. Hearing him say her name is enough for the tears to well up in her eyes again. DAMN!! She hates the way this one man has always been able to affect her. It also doesn't help that he has to ask her for help, and she knows what this is costing him. "Not me, or my parents, my sister, or nephews. None of my vast extended family can help him."

"You want me to get tested," it's not a question; they both know he'd never need to ask.

"You and every single blood relative that you have," he replies leaning up against the wall.

"Will tomorrow be soon enough?" She asks leaning against the wall opposite him. "I can call my sister when I get home, and get her to galvanize the troops."

"Your parents know you have a child?" He asks her quietly.

"Yes. They weren't happy about my decision, but they understood," she says to him with a soft smile. "My sister even knows that you're the father."

"Who else knows that I fathered the child you gave up for adoption?"

"Not tonight House," she replies as the tears begin to threaten again. "I can't have this fight with you tonight."

Something whispers to her in the back of her mind, and throwing all caution to the wind, she follows the little bit of advise. Cuddy pushes herself off the wall and walks over to him; she grasp his left hand in both of hers and looks into his eyes.

"Greg, twelve years ago I had a child and gave him up for adoption," she whispers. He leans closer to her on the pretense that he can't hear her. ""I should have told you, but I was scared and angry. That baby was your child as well; we had a son together." Cuddy drops her gaze to the floor, not wanting to see the hatred in his eyes.

"Oh God! What took you so long to tell me," House says, hauling her into his arms. The contact with his body was too much for her, and Lisa shut down. "And for the record we _have _a son Lisa. He's still alive and still fighting."

"You're not angry with me?" She asks him in a small voice.

"Oh I'm still angry with you; and I still want to yell at you. I may even still want to kill you, but we can do all that later," he tells her with a grin. "But right now I want you go home and get some rest. You've had a shocking day, and you still need to talk to your family." He nudges her towards the door that leads to the stairs. She let's her hand linger in his for a moment and then she slips through the door leaving him standing in the hall alone.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Late the following afternoon, Cuddy was sitting in her office trying to tackle the huge pile of paperwork that never seemed to end. It didn't help matters that her mind wasn't on her administrative duties, but on the little boy in room 313. She had stopped by his room when she had first arrived at the hospital, only to find him still asleep. It was hard not to wake him, but she knew that he needed his rest.

After a few hours of getting some work done, she had gone to Amy Weber to have her blood drawn and that was weighing on her mind as well. The call to her sister had taken way more time than she had originally planned, and her parents had called her several times today. They wanted to meet their grandson, but she had been forced to explain the situation to them, and they still didn't seem to understand. They didn't seem to understand that she had no legal rights to Braeden and she wasn't sure that House was ready for her family to descend on them like a plague of locust.

They would at least have to wait until the results of the blood test were known. If there was no match, House had a lot more to worry about than wether or not to let Braeden meet her extensive family. She was also worried about the blood test. What if she wasn't a match; what if none of them were? What would happen then? She tried not to think about; there would be time to deal with that once they knew.

Cuddy jumped a little when there was a knock on her office door. Glancing at the clock she realized it was well after the time when most of the hospital staff was still on duty. She got and opened the door to reveal Dr. Weber standing there looking slightly nervous.

"Dr. Cuddy, I hope I'm not interrupting you," she says.

"No please come in," Cuddy says ushering the younger woman in, and indicating that she take a seat. Cuddy tried to hide her nervousness as she walked behind her desk and took her seat. "I'm guessing that you have the results of my blood test."

"Your's and those relatives that went to Dr. Farmer earlier," she says shaking her head.

"Alright then let's get this over with," Cuddy says prompting her to continue.

"None of you are a match," Dr. Weber says on the verge of panic. She hadn't told Dr. House yet, not quite ready to face the man when he found out that none of the boy's relatives were a match. As it was she was still getting over the shock that the Dean of Medicine was said child's mother. And by the look on Dr. Cuddy's face, she feared that the woman was going to break down right in front of her.

Barely pulling herself together, Cuddy looks at Dr. Weber. "What are our options now?"

"Dr. Wilson already checked the donor registry and no matches there either," Dr. Weber announces feeling the weight of the only possibility left to these two parents. She was terrified to even be thinking it and wasn't sure she could get the words out.

"So is that it? We let him die?" Cuddy asks standing up.

"No Dr. Cuddy," Amy says hoping to calm the woman down. "There is one other option, but both you and Dr. House would have to be willing."

"I think I can say that Dr, House would be willing to do anything to save his son's life," Dr. Cuddy says a little harshly. "And for that matter so would I."

"Then at this point my only suggestion is for you and Dr. House to have another child."

**Oh my, I'm not sure how Dr. Cuddy is going to take that piece of advise, and I haven't even thought about House's reaction yet. Please review and let me know what you think.**


	6. Chapter 6: How To Save A Life

**A/N: Once again I really appreciate all of your reviews. I also want to take a moment and say that the subject is very dear to my heart. It must be heart rending to be a parent and have to face the possibility of losing a child. Add to that the moral dilemna of having a child just to save a sick child. I don't pretend to know what that must be like, but for the sake of my story I'm allowing these characters to do what they will given the events of their lives. This might be out of character for them as we know them, but hopefully it will still lend itself to a good story.**

Chapter 6: How To Save A Life

Cuddy sat back down in her chair hard. Dropped was more like it. She looks at Dr. Weber, mouth slightly open and absolutely no thoughts going through her head. She was sure that she had heard the woman speak, but the words she thought she heard, couldn't have possibly been the one that were actually said.

"I...I need you to repeat the last thing you said," Cuddy stammers.

"I said the only option left is for you and Dr. House to have another baby," Dr. Weber repeats. She waits for the information to sink through a second time, and wonders if now is a good time to make her escape, while Dr. Cuddy is to stunned to notice.

"Maybe we should get Dr. House in here, so you can repeat that," Cuddy says to the younger woman sitting across from her. "I'd hate for you to have to explain twice, and possibly come to harm when House tries to kill you. There is no way in hell he'd agree to this."

"Dr. Cuddy, don't be too sure," Amy says in a very small voice. "This is Braeden's only option. The drugs and transfusions will work for only so long, eventually the iron build up from the blood transfusions will kill him."

Cuddy shook her head indicating she didn't want to hear anymore. She reached for the phone and dialed House's cell. After a few minutes of ringing, his gruff voice answers.

"House."

"Get down to my office now, and bring Wilson with you," Cuddy snarls. She's not sure why she's angry, maybe because she was hoping for an easier solution, either way it didn't help her mood any.

The office was silent as both women were lost in their own thoughts. Amy was trying to figure out how to convince her boss that having a baby to save the life of her son wasn't necessarily an evil deed. Cuddy was trying to get her head around the possibility of having a child, and not just any child, but Greg House's child.

The door to her office swung open a few minutes later, and House, along with a frowning Wilson walked in. Cuddy looks up and right into the curious blue eyes of House.

"Alright Cuddy, we've arrived just as you summoned," House says coming to a stop in front of her desk. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to let Dr. Weber here do the talking," she replies. "Dr. Weber, the floor is your's."

"Dr. Cuddy is not a match," Amy says getting up out of her chair. She felt a distinct disadvantage sitting, so she got up and paces a little in front of the three people watching her intently. House draws in a sharp breath, and Wilson groans at her words.

"What do we do now?" House asks. He notices that Lisa is watching him intently, and before Amy can respond to that question, he levels his gaze on her. "You know already, don't you?"

"I know what Dr. Weber is going to suggest, yes," she responds, slightly lifting her chin in a gesture of defiance.

"Tell me then," he says quietly.

"I think we should let Dr. Weber explain the option."

"I want to hear it from you Cuddy," House says, coming to stand right next to her. Dr. Weber has stopped her pacing and sat back down. She wishes that right now something would intervene and she could leave this office. The tension is so heavy, she almost can't breath.

"Dr. Weber suggest that in order to save Braeden's life we have another baby together," Lisa says in a rush. At first no one says anything into the silence following Cuddy's statement. House takes a couple of steps towards her and then stops. Lisa notices that his breathing quickens and then watches as he limps back around her desk to drop heavily in an empty chair.

"Dr. Weber, I think you should explain exactly what you mean," House says turning his intense blue gaze on her.

"Let's get right to the heart of the matter," Amy begins. "Braeden needs a donor, and none of you are a match. His best chance has always been a sibling donor. You and Dr. Cuddy are still capable of having children; so that is the course of action I advise. With out a transplant, Braeden will die."

"What do we need to do to guarantee a perfect match for Braeden?" Wilson asks, hoping to give his two friends time to sort through their emotions on the idea of having a child together, on purpose.

"Dr. Cuddy would need to have fertility drugs to get her ovaries to release several mature eggs. Then close to ovulation, an egg harvesting procedure would be done, and those eggs when then be fertilized using Dr. House's sperm," Amy stops briefly as House emits a chocked gasp.

"Well that takes all the fun out of it," he says with a sigh.

"Yes, but the idea is to get a perfect match," Amy responds. "Doing it the old fashion way, only gives you a one in four chance of getting a match for Braeden. After the eggs have been fertilized, the resulting embryos are kept for about 3 days, at which time a cell is taken from each to determine if any of them are a match."

"Then the matching embryos are reintroduced into the uterus and hopefully at least one will implant. The best advantage of this method is that the umbilical cord blood is used, instead of subjecting the sibling to an operation to get the bone marrow." Dr. Weber finishes her explanation, and looks around the room.

During her explanation House keeps his gaze trained on Cuddy; she ignores him and watches Dr. Weber intently. His unblinking gaze makes her squirm a little, and pleasant ball of tension begins to curl in her stomach. She's so engrossed in trying to ignore him, that it takes her a moment to realize that the room has fallen silent.

"Both of you out," House says indicating Wilson and Amy.

Dr. Weber needs no further encouragement; she has no desire to stay behind and witness the coming showdown between Drs. House and Cuddy. Wilson on the other hand had no desire to leave either of them alone with the other. He knew Lisa was vulnerable to anything House wanted right now, and he knew that House would exploit any weakness to save Braeden.

"I wasn't asking," House says pinning Wilson with a hard stare.

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," Jimmy replies not moving.

"Right now what you want is irrelevant to me James," House sneers standing up. "Her and I need to talk, and we need to do that alone. So be a good boy and run along."

Wilson looks over to Cuddy and she gives him a slight nod, affirming that it was alright to leave. He could tell she was nervous as hell, but he knew they needed to get through this. Thank God it was late evening and most of the hospital staff was gone for the night. He was sure that storm that was brewing would get ugly.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

House continues to stand in front of Cuddy's desk, leaning heavily on his cane, watching the woman sitting before him. This wasn't going to be easy, but he had no intentions of being thwarted. His son's life was at stake, and he was willing to pay any price to save him. Braeden had saved House on so many occasions, that it was more than time for House to pay his debt to his only child.

"Go ahead and get it out Lisa," Greg says to her. She had been staring at her desk; wether to avoid looking at him, Greg was unsure.

"This a huge decision to be making," she replies finally looking up at him. "Having a baby to save a life is not something to be taken lightly."

"It's not just any life," Greg rejoins. "It is the life of _our _son. A life we created, one you nurtured within your body for 10 months, and then went through 16 hours of labor for."

"And what about the life of the child you're talking about creating to save our son," Cuddy quips. "What happens after you get what you need from the baby?"

"Cuddy let's not play games here," he replies. "You spent the last year trying to have a baby, you WANT a baby. Right now I'm willing to do anything to save my son's life. I will give you anything you want; sole custody of any child or children we have, child support, joint custody of Braeden, ANYTHING!! The alternative is that in a couple years we get out our best black outfits and consign our son to a grave. Don't ask me to do that!"

When he was finished speaking his whole body was shaking with anger, fear and the possibility that she would say yes. Losing his son would destroy him, but the thought of having another child with Lisa Cuddy scared him to death. He never wanted to be a father, but when a nurse laid his 4 day old son in his arms, he knew what he wanted no longer mattered.

"Anything I want House?" Cuddy asks him. She stands up and moves around the desk so that they're facing each other. The last time she saw him display this much emotion, was the last day of their 2 week holiday; when he told her he never wanted to see her again.

"Yes, anything at all Lisa," he replies looking deep into her eyes. "If I have to beg, borrow or steal to get it, I'll do anything you want." His voice is strained, and Lisa hears the stress and fear that is clawing at him. She doesn't want to lose their son either, yet she is terrified of having a baby with him, again.

"Alright Greg," she says to him. He looks at her startled, not sure he heard he right. "But I'm telling you now that I am NOT just doing this to save Braeden. You're right in that I want a baby, that hasn't been a secret between us. So to some degree I'm doing this for my own reasons, but what I want from you may be something you're not willing to give."

Greg tilts his head to the side, studying her face. He wants to scream in triumph, but something about the way she is expectantly looking at him, makes him pause. But he told her he was willing to do anything, and he wasn't lying.

"Ok I'll bite," he says to her with a grin. She knows that he likes to bite, if not he'd be more than happy to remind her. "What do you want?"

"Once this baby is here, you don't get to walk away from it after you get what you want," Lisa says in a voice so quiet, that Greg has to lean closer to hear her.

They are standing so close that Lisa can feel his warm breath as it moves across her temple, fanning the fine hairs there. She wants to lean in closer and taste the warm skin at his neck. She jumps when she feels his fingers lightly grasp her chin, and lift her face until he can look in her eyes. What she sees in the depths of his blue eyes has her heart slamming against her rib cage.

"Lisa are you asking for an active father in the baby's life, or are you asking for the whole package?"

"The whole package?" She asks back dumbly. He has her so flustered that she can't think straight.

"You, me, our kids, a house in the suburbs and every damn thing that comes with being a family," he says to her with a sly grin. She gasps in shock, her mouth working soundlessly. Greg laughs at the look on her face and knows that he's just one upped her.

"Um..that's..not exactly...what I was ...driving at," she stammers.

"Why not Lisa?" He asks closing what little space there was between them. He lets his hand slide to the back of her head and into her curls. He feels her body tremble against his, and he grins knowing that he still has the same effect on her that he had years ago. He tilts his head slightly, lips brushing her forehead His other hand moves to the small of her back, anchoring her against his body.

Unable to resist him, Lisa lifts her mouth to his, and Greg happily takes possession of her lips. His kiss is feather soft, and Lisa sighs against his lips. She missed kissing Greg, holding him in her arms, and the special look he'd reserved just for her. She wraps both of her arms around his neck and lets all thought empty from her head. He deepens the kiss, nibbling on her bottom lip. Lisa parts her lips and Greg's tongue sweeps in to duel with her own. After several moments of losing himself in the warmth of her mouth, Greg breaks the kiss off, and grins at her.

"So we're agreed," he says against her lips. "We're having a baby?"

"Yes," she says on a sigh. "There are a lot of details we need to hammer out, but it looks like you and I are having another baby."

"Good," he replies, stepping a little away from her. She immediately misses the warmth and solidness of his body pressed against her's. He grabs his cane from where he had propped it against her desk. Lisa tries to take a moment to get herself back together, feeling vulnerable at his quick disconnection, when he once again steps back into her personal space.

"That's a damn good thing," he says brushing her lips with his. "Because I seriously believe I'd have killed you if you had gotten pregnant by some other man last year." And with that Greg House limped out of her office, whistling a jaunty tune, a smile on his face, and the taste of the only woman he's ever truly wanted in his lips.

**If this offends anyone, then I apologize now. I honestly say I hope to never find myself in this situation, because I'm really not sure what I would do. But my intention is to treat this idea with all the respect it deserves. So please take a moment to review and let me know what you think. Good or bad I really want to know what you guys like and what you would like to see more of.**


	7. Chapter 7: Mother and Son

**A/N: Hey everybody!! Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews; you guys rock!!**

**Here is your next chapter. It's a little bit of an emotional roller coaster, and some background information. Not a whole lot, but the rest will be forthcoming later on. I'm trying to get out one more chapter before we have to move on Friday; no promises but I'll try real hard.**

**Please review and tell me what you think. I live for your reviews; I anticipate them like a child on Christmas morning!  
**

Chapter 7: Mother and Son

"_Lisa, I don't want to leave," Greg said into her ear, as they laid spooned together. She drew in a deep breath and turned to face him. She had spent the most glorious two weeks of her life on this little holiday with him over the winter break. She didn't want him to go either, but she couldn't tell him that._

"_Greg you have to go back to New York and finish your residency," Lisa said cupping his cheek in her palm. Greg turned his face so that he could place light butterfly kisses into the palm of her hand. Lisa closed her eyes as his warm lips sent shivers along her spine, and a rush of heat spread between her thighs._

"_I can transfer here to Boston and finish," he said looking deep into her eyes. He told himself he wasn't going to do this, but he had to know. He had to know if there was anything more to them, or if this was all they were ever going to be. He loved being with her, and he missed her terribly when they were apart. And God the sex was good; shit, good didn't even cover it._

_Lisa furrowed her brow and watch as unnamed thoughts raced across his face. He was lost for a moment in his own thoughts, and that gave her a few seconds to study him. She had missed him when he graduated, and the first time he had come back to see her she was stunned. He never made an excuse that he was there for other reasons; he always said he missed her and he needed to be with her. They'd spend a week or two together, then he'd leave again, and she had to try to piece herself back together just so she could function._

"_I don't want you to leave either, but I don't think transferring here to Boston is a good idea," she said to him. She saw him flinch as if she had actually struck him. No one would believe that Gregory House had any human feelings, but Lisa knew better, and she'd just trampled on his most vulnerable one; rejection._

"_You don't want me as anything but your occasional bed warmer," he said with a biting edge to his voice. She tried to grab his wrist as he slid out of the bed. He knew this was a mistake; he'd known she didn't take him seriously when it came to how he felt about her._

"_Greg that's not true," she replied sitting up and drawing the sheet around herself. She could tell he was angry at both of them; him for putting himself in a position to be hurt and her for being the one to hurt him. "I love the time we actually spend together; every single moment Greg; but when you're here that's all I can focus on. I can't seem to draw myself away from you to concentrate on anything else."_

"_Cut the crap Lisa. You're a straight A student, you only need to devote so much of your time to actual study," he snarls. "Let's be honest, you don't think I'm capable of anything beyond this, anything deeper with real emotional attachment."_

_Oh God!! He was right in how he believed she perceived this situation with him. Greg had never been able to focus on any one thing for longer than it took him to completely master it. Lisa didn't doubt she fell into those same parameters for him; right now she challenged and fascinated him. As soon as he pieced everything about her together, he'd discard her and move on to the next thing that caught his attention. She would never survive the emotional anguish, hell she could barely survive the physical separation. It always took her weeks to get back into her regular routines, and every time he left, she'd wait for him to call. He never did, and if she was honest with herself, she realized that she felt with him, it was out of sight, out of mind. He was only with her in the moments that he was actually here, once he was gone, he didn't think about her._

_She was quiet too long and when she looked he was completely dressed and his duffle packed. He was standing at the foot of her bed, looking at her as the emotions played out over her face. She realized that he read the doubt and uncertainty in her eyes, and she watched him close himself off to her. Could she be wrong? Could his feelings run just as deep as her's? She wanted so desperately to believe that they did, but this was Greg and she was way too afraid to risk it._

"_I'm leaving, and this will be the last time," he said with a hard bite to his tone. He was angry, hurt and devastated that she believed him capable of so little where she was concerned. It might have taken him a long time to realize that he loved her, but he had, and now it wasn't even worth the breath to tell her. _

"_Greg, I don't want this to end, not like this," she replied._

"_But you don't really care if it ends," he snarled. "You just don't want to feel like the bad guy. Fine Lisa, I'll help you out with that part, when you look back you can assign all the blame to me, the heartless bastard. I don't care if this hurts you, or if you cry yourself to sleep at night over this. To hell with this, whatever it was, and I hope you find some solace in the fact that you're probably right about my inability to emotional attachment. So I'll do us both a favor, I DON"T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, EVER!_

_The door to her room slammed shut, to be closely followed by the front door of the apartment also being forcibly shut. Lis sat in her bed, tears streaming unchecked down her face. How had they managed to come to this in less than fifteen minutes. Maybe if she gave him a few weeks to cool down, he'd come back around. She'd call him in a few weeks and they could work this silly mess out. Because that all it really was, a silly misunderstanding._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Cuddy shook herself as the last remnants of the dream faded from her consciousness. She gave herself a little mental shake and smiled sardonically. If she knew then what she knew now, she'd have climbed out of that bed and chased him down. She'd have stopped him and done everything she could think of to make him listen. She'd have even done it naked if she had to; but hindsight was 20/20 and there was no way to undo the past. It was the future she needed to worry about now.

She glanced at the clock and realized that she still had another hour before she needed to be up, but she doubted she would be able to get back to sleep. Might as well get up and face the day; maybe she could stop in and spend a few minutes with Braeden. Of course that meant braving House, but it would be worth it. Lisa actually smiled as she headed for the shower and thoughts of her last encounter with House rolled through her head. Maybe he'd put up a fight to her seeing Braeden and she'd be _forced _to coerce him.

Lisa was still smiling, and humming when she got to her office to drop off her bags. It was still fairly early and most of the staff was still hours from showing up to start their day. She walked pass the darkened clinic, heading for the elevators. She contemplated grabbing a cup of coffee, but decided to wait until after her visit with Braeden.

She expected the oncology floor to be quiet, but when the doors swung open she noticed a pair of nurses rushing out of room 313; Braeden's room. Lisa didn't stop to think, she rushed straight into the room firing questions before she cleared the door.

"What's going on?" She demanded of the nurse hovering over Braeden.

"Dr. Cuddy?" She asks startled by Lisa's abrupt entry.

"Where is Dr. House, or Wilson," Cuddy snapped coming to the other side of the bed. The nurse looked at her with concerned eyes.

"I've paged them both," she replies hanging a bag of fluid. "Dr. House went home to grab a shower and a few things. I promised him I would stay with Braeden until he got back. About an hour ago he spiked a fever, and then he seized about a minute ago."

"Oh God!" Lisa exclaims looking at her son. He was pale and sweat was pouring off him. He was thrashing around a little, mumbling incoherently. Lisa grabbed a thermometer to get a reading, and was shocked at what she saw. "His temp is way to high, we need to get it down immediately."

"Dr. Cuddy, maybe we should wait for Dr. Wilson. He's on his way," the nurse says to her.

"I'm not waiting!!" She shouts at the nurse. At that time the door flew open and another nurse ran in.

"What do you need Dr. Cuddy?" Audrey asks.

"Ice, his temp needs to come down now," she says grateful that someone else with a little common sense had arrived. "He's trying to fight off a massive infection, but his body is fighting against him. Pack him in ice and page House with a 911."

Audrey jumps into action and rounds up several more nurses to help her get ice and pack it around Braeden's body. At the first contact of cold against his skin, he begins to thrash around more violently, and Lisa grabs his hands and talks soothingly to him. She strokes back his soft brown curls and promises him that if he pulls through this, she'd do anything. Tears streak down her face as he slowly stops trashing, and quiets down.

"Have you started him on iv antibiotics?" Lisa asks Audrey.

"Yes, per Dr. Wilson's order," she replies. She reaches over to take another temp and sighs showing it to Cuddy. Lisa looks at the read out and although it is still high, it was coming down.

"Ok this is good," she says to the nurse. The two of them share a small smile, and Lisa makes a mental note to have Wilson give Audrey any damn thing she wants.

She gives a start as the small hand she's holding gives her's a squeeze. She looks up into Braeden's electric blue eyes, and he tries to grin. She sees the pain that clouds his vision and she wants to scream. All of her instincts to protect him rise up in her, and she feels helpless at not being able to take his pain away.

"Don't worry, your dad is on his way," she tells him. She brushes his hair off his forehead and leans over to place a small kiss at his temple.

"I'm cold," he replies.

"You're covered in ice right now," she explains. "I'm going to go and see..."

"No, please don't leave," he pleads gripping her hand tighter. "Please mom..."

Cuddy gasps at hearing that come from him. She watches as his eyes flutter close and he stills into a restless sleep. She looks over to Audrey, who is staring at her in shock. Lisa can't help the groan that escapes her; she knows this will be all over the hospital by lunch.

"They won't hear it from me," Audrey says, drawing Lisa's shocked gaze. "Let's get this ice from around him and get him onto some dry sheets."

Cuddy nods her head and picks Braeden up as Audrey grabs a few more nurses to help her. One of them drapes a blanket over the two of them as Lisa sits in the chair, cradling her son to her chest. She smiles because he's almost as tall as she is, and his feet hang over the arms of the chair. She never held him as a baby, and she gets chocked up thinking about all the things that she missed.

It's several minutes before the nurses are done, and Audrey lightly touches her shoulder. The other woman hangs another bag of fluids and more antibiotics. She silently lets Cuddy know that she's leaving. Both women give a small start of surprise when they look up and see House in the doorway. Audrey brushes pass him, letting him know that Dr. Wilson is on his way in. House nods to her, letting the door close quietly behind him.

His eyes are drawn to the woman sitting in the chair by the bed, holding his son against her chest. He's thinking neither of them could possibly be comfortable, yet Braeden is sleeping peacefully, and Lisa doesn't look like she wants to ever let him go. He walks over to her and sits down the bags he's carrying. He leans over and checks his son, and then kisses Lisa lightly on the lips.

"Put him back in bed," he says to her. "Connie sent the blue bag for you. When your done here, come see me. I'll be waiting for you."

"Your not worried about him?" She asks him quietly.

"I'll always worry about him, but right now he's in good hands," he says to her on his way out of the door.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Wilson had come into Braeden's room a short time after House had left. He had been appraised of the situation, and was told that it appeared as if Braeden had stabilized and was responding to the antibiotics. He walked in to see his young patient sleeping soundly in his bed, and Lisa looking through a photo album. She had tears streaming down her cheeks, and a luminous smile on her face. He walked around behind her to see that she was looking at pictures of Braeden's first birthday.

"That was a fun day," Wilson says, sitting next to her. "House had this huge cake made and was trying to encourage Braeden to take his first steps through the cake." Lisa laughed, having no problem picturing House doing just that. "Stacy was livid, and wouldn't talk to him for a week."

"Stacy was there?" Lisa asks. She's turned a few more pages, and sees pictures that has Braeden and Stacy together. There are a few of Wilson with him, and several of him and House together.

"Lisa you know they were together for five years," Wilson says quietly.

"She was the woman who answered the phone that day," she tells him. "How did Greg find out about Braeden?"

"You need to ask him that Lisa. It's his story to tell. All I can really tell you, is that Braeden never wanted for anything. He's always been House's number one priority. Braeden get's something from House that the rest of us will never come close to getting." Wilson assures her.

"I think you should wait to go through the rest of these with House. There is a story for every picture, and I don't think you should miss out on hearing it."

"Your not going to ask what we decided to do?" She queries him as he stands up.

"I figure one of you will tell me eventually," he replies with a smirk. "It's not an easy decision to make."

"House and I are not easy people," she replies with her own smirk. "We like to keep things as difficult as possible."

"The I guess congratulations are in order," he says to her with a genuine smile.

"Don't break out the champagne yet, I might not get pregnant. I didn't last year, so I don't want to get everyone's hope up," she says in a tiny, uncertain voice.

"Hey this is House were talking about; he got you pregnant once and he wasn't even trying." Wilson watched as the blush spread across her cheeks and then down her neck. He chuckled at her embarrassment, as he stood up. "I still need to do rounds, and check out Braeden's lab results."

"I'm off to a little chat with House; wether he's ready for it or not," she replies also standing. She looks at Braeden sleeping peacefully and feels a stab of guilt pierce her chest. She didn't want to leave him alone, in case he woke up.

"Go," Wilson says propelling her towards the door. "Audrey is here, and she has become quite protective of young Master Braeden here. "She'll page us if anything happens." Lisa gives him a bright smile and then slips from the room. Wilson jumps in surprise when he hears a small voice from the bed.

"So you gonna help me get those two together?" Braeden asks him with an impish grin.

"You're asking for trouble if you try to take on those two," Wilson says moving closer to the bed.

"They started it," Braeden replies sitting up. Wilson notices the little tremors that wrack the boys lanky frame, and that his eyes are still a little bright from the fever. "I also figure I got the best and worst from both of them; so unless they team up against me, they're screwed."

"This could be fun," Wilson grins. "It could also blow up in our faces."

"So you're in?" Braeden asks holding up his fist. Wilson chuckles and lightly taps his fist against the young boy's.

"Wonder twin powers activate." They both say in a conspiratorial whisper.

**OH Lord! What are those two up to now. I swear they are always getting in trouble, seems there is no controlling them.**

**Please let me know what you think, hit that review button!**


	8. Chapter 8: Clearing The Air

**A/N: You guys are still the best. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews!! I won't be able to post again until probably sometime next week; although I have already begun the next chapter. This chapter clears a few thing between House and Cuddy, and has a few light moments. Please review!! I need them, they are becoming like an addiction!**

Chapter 8: Clearing The Air

Cuddy was surprised when she walked into House's office to find him on the phone; both his cell and the one sitting on his desk. He had his laptop open, and papers were streaming from a printer and a fax machine. He looked agitated yet determined, and he was talking into the phone aggressively.

"I don't care how much it cost," he barked. "I want it to happen as soon as humanly possible." She watched him for a few minutes as he seemed to listen to what the other person was saying, occasionally shaking his head. The phone on his desk was playing soft music, and she realized that it was on speaker and he was currently on hold. "Alright then, make all the arrangements and fax me the necessary documents immediately."

He hung up and looked at her. His blue eyes fierce, body language tense and just as he was about to say something a cool voice sounded over the speaker phone. Without breaking eye contact with her, he snatched up the handset and began firing questions. Lisa couldn't keep up with the conversation, so she sat down and waited for him to finish. After about fifteen minutes he finally hung up the phone, and turned his undivided attention to her.

"What was all that about?" She asks him, indicating the phones, printer and faxes.

"I don't know about you, but I can't go through very many more of these crisis," he says, his eyes boring into her's. "It will take almost a year to go through all the drugs, testing, pregnancy, and getting the cord blood and the final transfusion. We need to start moving on this now."

The look on her face freezes whatever else he was about to say. She looked like a deer caught in headlights, and it scared him that she was having second thoughts.

"Unless of course you've changed your mind," he says quietly. Lisa looks up at him and sees the sheer terror in his eyes. His face is impassive, but his eyes give him away; they always did if you know what to look for.

"No, I haven't changed my mind," she assures. "I'm just surprised how quickly you are moving."

"Our son's life is hanging in the balance. I don't think we've got a lot time on our side."

"Before we jump forward, I think we need to take a step back," she says to him. He looks at her confused and not sure exactly what she is referring to.

"What do you mean?" He asks warily.

"How did you find out about Braeden?" There, she finally had managed to get it out. If they were going to fight about it, they were going to do so before she brought another child into either one of their lives.

"You sure you want to do this now, here?" He asks studying her. "I can't promise you that I'll behave myself."

"When do you ever," she replies smiling at him. It was enough to break the tension that had seeped into the room.

"Chris told me," he says watching her.

"Chris who?" She asks looking confused.

"Christopher Jenkins. Lawyer in Boston; married to one Melanie Graft Jenkins. I believe she's a pediatrician now," he tells her in nonchalant voice.

"Mel, my roommate?" She asks in disbelief.

"Chris is my cousin, she was dating him at the time, and wracked with guilt," he supplies leaning back in his chair. "She got drunk one night and spilled the whole thing to him, said it was eating her up. Chris and I were close; still are. He felt more than honor bound to tell me."

"I'm assuming you didn't take it well," she says arching an eyebrow at him.

"Denial first," he chuckles. "I told him there was no way in hell you'd be pregnant and not tell me. Then he told me that due to my refusal to talk to you, you removed me from the equation, and therefore the decision making process."

"You gave my sister you phone number?" She asks in an exasperated voice.

"No, I gave the information to Mel. Her and Chris thought by passing it on to Rachel, you might actually call. Obviously that was not the case."

"So you knew before he was even born, and you didn't come to me yourself?" Her anger level was rising. He could of just as easily called her; but no he took matters into his own hands.

"You made it very clear that I was not what you wanted," he replies in a soft dangerous voice. "A man can only take so much rejection from the same woman."

"We could have dealt with this then," she almost screams at him.

"Well we didn't," he snaps back. "And then you had no problem giving him to someone else."

"You think I did that easily?" Lisa jumps up from her chair and is violently pacing back and forth in front of his desk. The ducklings were looking into the office with concern written all over their faces. Greg realizes that this is going to get uglier, and walks out of the office. He spends a few minutes talking to his young doctors, they file out of the conference room and he makes his way back to his office.

"I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision," he replies.

"Damn it Greg; it was the hardest thing I ever had to do," she growls at him. "I refused to even see him, knowing that if I did there would be no way in hell I'd leave without him. I wanted what was best for him, and I knew I couldn't give him that by myself."

"And you didn't think the two of us could together?" He asks her bitterly.

"Greg you made it plain that you wanted nothing to do with me, and that you had moved on with your life," Lisa replies resigned. "But let's not get caught up in the back story. What did you do after you found out?"

"I needed to know if he was mine or not," Greg answers simply. "Chris got a court order for a paternity test, and when that confirmed that I was his father and you gave up your parental rights; he went back to court and had my rights instated. That effectively stopped the adoption from going forward, and because I didn't want you to know; Chris had a gag order placed over the adoption agency. They couldn't inform you."

"So you let me believe that he had been adopted," she says hurt to her very soul. He had to have been more than angry at her to have allowed her to live in ignorance of what really had happened to her child.

"Lisa you didn't want him. YOU gave him away to strangers," House yelled. She didn't bother to respond; what would be the point.

"How did you keep Wilson and Stacy from telling me?" She asks hoping to move the conversation forward.

"I simply told them that not only would I kill them, but I would take Braeden and leave," he says with a shrug of his shoulders. "Wilson was never happy with you not knowing, especially after I ws shot. He was so concerned about what would happen to Braeden if I died."

"What would have happened to him?' Lisa asks.

"Chris and Mel are his Godparents; he would have went to them in Boston. My parents are to old to take him, and my sister has 2 boys of her own; even though I know she would love to have him. Chris has been there from the very beginning; he loves Braeden like a son."

"So even in the event of your death, I still wouldn't know?" She asks trying to hold the emotion from her voice. It actually kills him to see her sitting there looking both vulnerable and devastated.

"If I died, Chris was left instructions that he could tell you about Braeden; if he wanted to. Mel had already allowed her friendship with you to fall apart because she knew about Braeden. I couldn't ask her to take your son and raise him as her own, and not tell you," he replies.

"When did Stacy become involved with Braeden?" Lisa hadn't wanted to ask this particular question, but something inside her had to know. It wasn't fair that Stacy had gotten to be apart of her son's life, and she was kept in the dark.

"Are you sure you want to know this?" Greg asks hesitantly. He'd give her the whole story if that was what she wanted, but he knew that this could very well end whatever truce they had between them.

"I think it's time to put all our cards on the table Greg; before we go further; we need to start with a clean slate," she says nodding at him. "Even if it hurts; I want to know."

"The last time I came to see you, when you got pregnant with Braeden; I was already seeing Stacy." Her shocked gasp hits him right in the gut. It was filled with hurt, betrayal and anguish. He rushed on wanting to get it all out. "It was the reason I came to see you. Stacy wanted to move in together, and I was missing YOU. I thought about you constantly, even when I should have been focusing on the woman I was with. I came to Boston to try and figure out where, if anywhere we were headed. You know how that trip ended. So I went back to New York and after drinking myself stupid, I let her move in."

"She wasn't thrilled when she found out about Braeden, but she was there when I brought him home. At first she didn't want to have anything to do with him, but who can be mad at a baby. I didn't tell her about you, but when she met you, she says she knew immediately that you were Braeden's mother. Everything was ok until the infarction."

"Your bitterness drove her away," Lisa says understanding why the other woman would leave. She herself would never have been able to abandon him, especially with a small child, but that was where her and Stacy differed.

"Not entirely," he drawls, once again looking into her eyes. "My anger allowed me to say a lot of things, and I'm sure my telling her that I would never marry her and that there was no way in hell I would ever allow myself to have children with her, was pretty much all she needed to pack her things and go."

"You told her that?" Lisa asks shocked. She knew Greg was not the marrying type, but she had assumed that he'd have done anything for Stacy.

"Yeah pretty much," he affirms. "She also held it against me that I wouldn't allow Braeden to think of her as his mother. For some reason it didn't sit well with me. I wasn't willing to let someone else play at being his mother."

"How did you manage with him after the infarction?" She asks concerned that he had taken any of his anger and resentment out on their child.

"Connie, my parents and the knowledge that if I completely fell apart, someone would take him from me." He answers her honestly. "I love him because of so many reasons that I'm sure I don't have to explain to you; but the reason I fought to get him was because he was part of you Lisa. I didn't want to let you go, and when I found out there was a piece of you that I could have, I moved heaven and earth to grab it."

"Greg I'm sorry that I didn't try everything to tell you. We could have avoided so much of this," she says leaning back in the chair, completely drained from their conversation. They had managed to hurt each other for so long through just not talking.

"I wouldn't trade a single moment of my life with him," Greg replies vehemently.

"But I would," she says. "I can't get back those years."

"No, but you can help me make sure that he has plenty more."

"You won't keep me from him after this is over?" She asks.

"I told you Lisa; anything you want. Speaking of which, when is your period due to start?"

"WHAT?!"

"Dr. Weber gave me the information for the lab in Chicago that can get this all under way," he explains handing her a packet of papers. They can do all the fertility stuff, then the HLA testing, and after the baby is born, they treat the cord blood making it ready for transfusion."

"Do we have to go to Chicago?" She asks glancing up at him briefly.

"It would best if we did," he says standing and coming around the desk, to stand in front of her. "We would only have to be there until you got pregnant, then we can return here. The cord blood has to be hand delivered, so that would be my job. If your cycle hasn't started, then we can get there before it does and get this ball rolling. If it already has, or you just stopped, we'll have to wait almost another month. "

"What about Braeden?" She asks him. He smiles at the fact that her first thought wasn't about the hospital, but about her son. The little twerp had already supplanted the hospital as her number one priority.

"With this infection in his system, he's to sick to travel. My parents are more than willing to stay here with him, and he has Jimmy, plus I think we might have to beat Audrey back with a stick once he is released from the hospital," Greg says with a smirk. "He won't be alone; and if Jimmy feels like he can send him home, then Connie will be there."

"My parents want to meet him," she says quietly. She glances up and is startled by the intense look in his gaze; he was staring at her almost as if he was contemplating eating her. Her lips part slightly and her pulse jumps in response to his hungry look.

"Greg," she says on a slightly breathless voice.

"No, Lisa," he whispers, shaking his head to clear it of thoughts tumbling through his head,

"No they can't meet him?" She asks confused.

"No, I'm not going to toss you on my desk, and have my way with you; even though that's what I'd like to do," he responds pushing off the desk and walking back to his chair. "If they can be here tonight, then by all means introduce them to him. Don't get him worked up or upset, so talk to him first. Your period Lisa."

"It should start in 2 days," she replies standing. A small thrill of excitement courses through her at hearing him want to do anything to her; it is closely followed by him allowing her parents to meet Braeden.

"We leave first thing tomorrow morning," he says picking up his phone. "We need a lawyer, you need to get someone to cover for you. I need to talk to Braeden, and God we need to pack."

"How long will we be gone?" she says standing up and heading for the door. She has pulled her cell phone out and is already dialing.

"About a month," he says distractedly. She sighs heavily knowing that it can't be helped. Leaving the hospital for a month is likely to bring on a coronary for her. She glances over her shoulder at him, and the way he is moving around his office making plans, and smiles. When Greg House becomes focused on something, it captures his complete attention; and right now he was focused on getting her pregnant. For some reason that sent a thrill right to her heart.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

After hours of running around trying to see to every detail before having to get on a plane to Chicago, Lisa drops tiredly into a chair pulled up to Braden's bed. The boy was currently engrossed in a game with Chase, and neither seemed to be aware that she was even in the room. It gave her a chance to study her son unobtrusively.

He looked so much like House, she should have just named him after Greg. The only thing she contributed to her son, ws his gorgeous brown curls and his name. He even had House's feet and ears. She had to smile, afterall it was House's way to completely dominate everything he did.

"I know, it's disgusting, isn't it," Braeden says looking at her, as if he could read her thoughts. There is a mischievous glint in his blue eyes, and a very impish smile playing around his mouth. The same mouth his father has.

"The apple definitely didn't fall far from the tree," she replies smiling at him. "Chase can you give us time alone."

"No problem," he says, standing to leave. "I want a rematch twerp."

"I don't know why; I'll just crush you then to," Braeden replies with a smirk. Chase shakes his head thinking that the world can't handle two Gregory Houses.

"Has your father talked to you?" She asks once they are alone.

"About you two going to Chicago to have a baby that would be a perfect genetic donor for me?" He asks rhetorically. "He may have mentioned it when he was here a little while ago."

"Cheeky little brat," she says to him with a grin.

"You know dad says the same thing all the time, I can't understand why."

"Does it bother you what we are doing?" Lisa asks him nervously.

"Me, what about you?" Braeden asks leveling her with a very pointed look.

"I"ll be fine," she reassures him. He gives her a knowing look, and then comes and sits closer to her.

"You sure you want to dance with the devil; he many not be thinking straight."

"I tangle with your father everyday; I can handle him," Lisa says with a smirk.

"Alright then, don't say I didn't warn you," he tells her, pointing a finger at her.

"My parents would like to meet you before your father and I leave," she says to him tentatively. "I wanted to make sure you were up for that before they descend upon you."

"I'm fine with that, and I'll even try not to act like House; but please don't hold me to that," he says giggling. They both look up as House and Wilson come walking into the room. House is carrying a bag filled with soda and junk, while Wilson is toting a couple of pizzas.

"Dinner is here!" Braeden exclaims grabbing a pizza from Wilson.

"You have to share," Wilson tells him.

"Aw come on. I'm a growing boy," Braeden says opening up the box and sighing loudly at the veggie pizza in front of him.

"You're going to eat that?" Lisa asks him in surprise.

"That's your fault too," Greg says throwing a soda towards her.

"What that he likes vegetables?" She exclaims.

"I wish that was it. The boy is a vegetarian; it's unnatural." Both House and Wilson shudder, and Braeden sticks his tongue out at them.

"I would love to stay and watch the male bonding, but I still need to pack and pick my parents up from the airport," Lisa says gathering her things. She leans over to give Braeden a hug, but stops feeling unsure. Braeden shakes his head and reaches up and pulls her into a tight hug. He looks over to his father as Lisa is heading for the door and gives him a pointed look. House huffs a little, but grabs his cane and pushes himself out of the chair.

"I'll walk you to your car," he says to her. Lisa is so shocked that at first all she can do is stand there and stare at him.

"Are you feeling alright? You're not coming down with anything?" She asks him lightly touching his forehead, as they walk out of the room. He skin did feel a little clammy and his cheeks were flushed.

"I'm not sick," he replies jerking his head away from her. "But if you keep touching me, I won't be responsible for my actions."

He tried to ignore all the people watching the two of them as they walked along, heading for the garage. He knew that they were still the hottest topic of the rumor mill, and that Lisa was still going to have to deal with the board of directors when they got back. He had heard that she had already faced them down earlier today, and threaten them with legal action if they tried to interfere with anything that would impede her saving her son's life. It made him feel all warm inside thinking of her as a protective momma bear willing to do battle to protect her young cub.

"Greg are you listening to me?" She asks him exasperated.

"Not unless the twins are doing the talking," he replies grinning.

"I swear I don't know what to do with you," she exclaims. "I asked you if you talked to the lawyer?"

"Yeah the papers will be hand delivered to me first thing in the morning," he replies shifting his attention from her chest to her face. "All we have to do is sign and they will be filed and legal. It would be a lot easier if we were married. The clinic in Chicago could still balk, even though we've drawn up a legal and binding contract."

Lisa looks at him in surprise, trying to gauge wether he is just stating a fact, or fishing for a reaction from her. "You're kidding, right?"

"I said it would be easier, not necessary," he replies to her shocked expression. He steps closer to her, and grabs her slender hand into his larger one. "But if it became necessary, WOULD you marry me?"

**OH LORD!! Is the man even serious? (He won't tell me yet! He is so exasperating!) Please hit the review button and let me know what you think!**


	9. Chapter 9: The Best Laid Plans

**A/N: I'm sorry that this chapter has been long in coming, but it seemed to take forever for us to move. And then we found out that the AC cord for the computer was in hiding. But everything has finally been put to right, so here is chapter 9. It's a bit of a filler chapter, to just keep the story moving to the next part. I will say that Braeden and Wilson are still up to know good.**

** Also thank you for all your wonderful reviews. I'm not sure that everyone understands how much a review can make a difference in your desire to keep writing a story that people enjoy. So thank you all very much, you guys truly inspire me.  
**

Chapter 9: The Best Laid Plans

Lisa stared at Greg as if he's lost his mind. Well she knew it was a possibility, but what he just said..asked was beyond the pale; even for him. Yet the look in his eyes told her he was serious, and she needed to tread carefully, or she could upset the very tenuous balance they had managed to obtain.

"I'm sure that it won't come to that," she replies. She quickly continues when she sees the small spark of anger and hurt flash in his eyes. "But should we encounter a problem with the people in Chicago because we're not married, then we will revisit this issue. If it becomes a matter of them absolutely refusing to accept the contract we have, then there will be nothing stopping _me_ from dragging _you_ to a Justice of the Peace; after all this is our son's life we're talking about."

Greg nods his head, accepting that she'd do anything for Braeden, including a farce marriage to get the cooperation they needed. Even though he wants things to go smoothly, he almost wishes that the people in Chicago will balk so he can be dragged off and married to Lisa Cuddy. It's enough of a thought to bring a ghost of a smile to his lips, and tightness to his groin. God they use to be so good together.

"Greg," Lisa says, trying to pull his attention from wherever it had wandered off to. He blinks a couple of times, and then focuses his bright blue eyes on her face.

"Be at my place no later than 8:00; that's when the papers will be there," he replies. "We'll leave from there and catch a taxi to the airport, the plane leaves at 11:00."

"I've never been to your house," she says dumbfounded.

"I guess there's a first time for everything," he smirks. "There's no need to keep everyone away now that the cat's out of the bag." He scribbles an address on a piece of paper, and hands it to her. Lisa's eyes go slightly wide, and fly back up to his.

"This is an extremely exclusive neighborhood House," she exclaims. He almost laughs at the expression on her face. She seems outraged that he would be living in an area that is more ostentatious than the one she lives in.

"Don't you want the best for your child?" He asks.

"Next your going to tell me he attends The Hun School or...,"

"He goes to Princeton Day School," he interrupts her with a grin. Her mouth falls open and she huffs, scowling at him. "Are you mad because I provide the best I can for him?"

"No Greg," she says releasing a heavy breath. "I just wish that..."

"Lisa you'll get the chance to spoil him rotten," he reassures her. "You still don't understand me, do you?" He asks her with a mysterious smile.

"Every time I figure I've got you pegged, you go and do or say something that makes me realize that you truly are one the world's most exasperating mysterious," she answers him sarcastically.

The look he gives her is warm and inviting; it confuses Lisa. For years he had been bitter, snarky, misanthropic; trying to keep the world at arms length, including her; and now all of sudden he's almost back to the young man she feel head over heels for in college. It was too much for her too fast, and she was scared that in the end she was going to get hurt; again.

"Go Lisa. I know you have a lot to do, and if you keep standing her looking at me like I'm a puzzle you want to figure out, I just might let you," he says to her. He pulls her into a loose hug, breathing in the intoxicating scent of her. "And if you ever figure me out Lisa, you'll really be in trouble," he whispers placing a butterfly kiss on her temple, and then limping away.

Lisa's heart squeezes painfully as she watches, bitterness and guilt swamping her. There were so many what ifs running through her head; but she knew there was never any going back to change the past. All she could was go forward and hope that the future didn't hold unbearable heartbreak. She got into her car, and headed to the airport to pick up her parents.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Alright little man, what's your first plan of attack," Jimmy says to Braeden once they were alone.

"I think we need to get the two of them in constant proximity, and not just here at the hospital," Braeden says looking up from the keyboard he was fiddling with. "They're going to be spending a month together in Chicago; they'll be with each other everyday. But when they come back here, she'll go to her house, and he will be at his. Too much distance in my opinion."

"So what do you suggest?" Jimmy asks. He's always loved Braeden's sharp mind, and attention to detail. He was a lot like House in that he had to figure out everything that came his way, but he got his attention for the smallest of details from Cuddy; it was the same thing that allowed her to be a great administrator.

"We have a huge 6 bedroom, 4 bath rancher; currently being occupied by two single guys," Braeden responds, warming up to his idea. "In case you're wondering that's over 5000 square feet of living space. I'm sure when can help him convince her that it would be in everyone's best interest if she moved into our house until after the baby is born, and I get the transplant," he says sitting back looking smug.

"I'm going to love hearing this one," Wilson says sarcastically.

"While they're gone, we have a contractor come in and make Lisa a nice little suite; including a private master bath and nursery. We can make it more than big enough for her to be comfortable and not feel like she has to give up any privacy. She get's all the added conveniences of a live in housekeeper, and she gets to be close to her ailing son," he replies glancing at Wilson for his reaction.

"Sounds good, but then there is still the issue of your dad," Wilson states. "They don't always see eye to eye on things, nor do they always get along. He's not just going to invite her into his private domain"

"They must have gotten along at least once; after all I'm here, and I'm sure it wasn't due to an immaculate conception," Braeden snarked, reminding Wilson so much of his best friend. "We can play on what little sympathy my dad has left. We'll convince him that Cuddy shouldn't be living alone while pregnant, especially while she's pregnant with _his_ child. He'll need to keep an eye on her, make sure she's not working to much, or spending to much time allowing donors to run her all over the place, while she's trying to get their money. We'll also add into the mix that he didn't get to be there the last time she was pregnant. He missed out on that and this may

be his last opportunity to be around the woman carrying his child."

"That sounds like it might actually work," Jimmy says nodding his head. It was obvious that Braeden understood House's need to control everything and everyone around him. What Wilson found amusing was that House's son was a master manipulator, who definitely had a leg up on everyone else.

"It needs to work," Braeden replies vehemently. "I want him to have some measure of happiness in his life, and I know he can find that with her."

"Hey little man; he's happy when he's with you," Jimmy says, seeing a momentary weakness in the boy who always seemed to have everything under control.

"I'm not talking about the kind of happiness that comes from being a parent," Braeden says. "I'm referring to the kind of soul searing love that comes from finding a person that completes you. Not being able to concentrate on what you were doing or saying when they walk into the same room with you. Missing them after you've only been apart for the amount of time it takes to brew a cup of coffee. Waking in the arms of someone that you feel absolutely safe with, and knowing everything is right in your world. Not having to hide who you are, because they love you in spite of yourself. I want him to have that; he deserves to have that."

"I feel sorry for the women of the world when you grow up twerp," Wilson says clapping him on the shoulder. He never saw the romantic, passionate side to the young boy, but he guess he shouldn't have been surprised. The boy was definitely multi faceted.

"So does this mean you're in?" He asks a little sheepishly.

"Even though this could blow up in our faces? Your dad may disown you, and he'll definitely never speak to me again? And Cuddy will fire me for this?" Wilson asks, and grins as the boy shakes his head slightly.

"Yeah that's what I mean," Braeden confirms.

"Then what the hell; I was getting bored anyway," Wilson agrees shaking hands with Braeden. "So what do we do first?"

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa was absolutely exhausted by the time she pulls up to House's place at 7:45 the next morning. Once she had gotten her parents and made her way back to the hospital, she still had a list of things to do a mile long. She had been absolutely terrified to introduce her parents to the child she had given up for adoption twelve years ago.

She shouldn't have been worried. They were absolutely charmed by Braeden and he took to them as if he had known them his whole life. After hovering for over an hour, her mother finally shooed her out the door, telling her to go pack and take care of whatever else she needed to do before getting on the plane in the morning. They had assured her that they could get to her place on their own, and they wanted to spend some more time with their grandson.

Lisa left reluctantly. She had not gotten to fully explain the situation to her parents, but they understood what she had to do, and they were not going to judge her for it. They were parents as well, and they sympathized with the anguish she was feeling. No parent should have to face burying their child. Lisa took a few moments to gather herself together, and then looked up at the house owned by Gregory House.

What she saw made her gasp. The large cream colored rancher was a sprawling imitation of a Spanish villa. It's gorgeous red tiled roof winked at her seductively as the morning sun hit the tiles. The large wooden double doors were crowned by a huge gabled archway. The driveway curved around the front of the house in a semi-circle, and then continued on around the side of the property. The exterior was beautifully landscaped, and Lisa was having a hard time seeing her scruffy diagnostician residing in such an immaculate testament to architecture.

She walked to the front doors in a stupor and used the heavy brass knocker to announce her presence. She looked around at the beautiful setting and wondered how Greg could afford such a house, in such an exclusive neighborhood.

"Are you going to come in, or would you rather stand here and gawk all morning?" He asks her with just a hint of amusement in his voice. She jumps a little, startled that she had not heard him open the doors. He was still as scruffy as ever, dressed in a pair of well worn jeans, band t-shirt and a button down shirt, that was left opened. Even his scruffy tennis shoes and beard were in evidence.

"I thought maybe I had the wrong address," she replies, breezing by him. Once she was inside she was stunned speechless. The interior of the house was even more stunning than the exterior. It was bright, airy, and you had no choice but to feel comforted and relaxed.

Lisa was not surprised to see the piano on full display in a large room off to her left. She was drawn into this room that still held the resonance of House having just stopped playing. She HAD expected to see a black baby grand piano, but that was not the sight that greeted her. She turns to House with one eyebrow raised.

"It's a concert grand piano, and I felt that black would overwhelm the clean lines of the room," he says with a careless shrug of his shoulders. "So I specially ordered this piano to be made with Anigre, a beautifully light hardwood from Africa."

"Greg, I know what your salary is. And although it is quite impressive, I'm sure that it's not able to keep you in this kind of comfort," she says looking at him. She knows that she's prying, but she can't seem to help herself. The house alone would be worth a small fortune, and the interior had definitely been professionally decorated, with no expense spared.

"My grandparents on my mother's side passed away while I was a young boy. I think Chris and I were no older than 3 maybe 4. We were their only grandchildren at the time," he states simply. "They divided the family business between my mother and her siblings, along with their personal property; but their liquid wealth they divided between me and Chris. It was held in trust until we turned 30; needless to say it was quite a bit of money when I was 3, and after 27 years of my uncles' diligence it is more than enough to keep me solvent."

"Are you telling me that you're independently wealthy?" She asks him in shock.

"Yes Lisa, I am," he answers her with a smirk.

"Then why do you even work?" She questions him flabbergasted. She knows how much he detest clinic, and that he would prefer to be left to think and ponder all day in solitude. She couldn't understand why he would subject himself to that all day if he didn't have to.

She had been so absorbed in her thoughts on trying to figure out why he came to work, that she had not heard him approach her. She was startled when he lifts her chin so that he could look into her eyes. She saw the glint of humor dancing in his blue eyes, and something else that made her heart flutter frantically against her ribs.

"Now if I didn't come to work everyday, I would have to find some other way to see you. To lavish my particular brand of charm on you," he replies. His index finger was gently tracing the outline of her mouth, and then his lips replaced his finger with a light kiss. "And I'm sure that I'd make a lousy donor, cause I'd care less what you did with my money as long as you _spent _your attention on me."

He was seducing her and she really didn't give a damn. She had denied herself the pleasure of Gregory House for years, believing that she was doing what was best for both of them; maybe she'd been wrong. She didn't really give a rat's ass right now. All she wanted was to feel the full possession of this man's mouth on her, like he did when they were both younger. When she knew that she was his intrinsically, and that no other man would ever compare.

Greg had no problem giving Lisa what she wanted. He took full possession of her lips, plundering the depths of her mouth, and sending a fire scorching through both of them. He knew they couldn't go any further, but he was completely unable to pull away from the magnetic draw of this woman. It seems that some things never change, and never would.

Neither one of them heard the first gentle raps on the front door, nor the pounding of the brass knocker as some one was trying to gain entry. It wasn't until a crisp voice floated by them, that they broke apart, and once again became aware of the world around them.

"You two keep that up and you can cancel your trip to Chicago," an amused female voice gently reprimands them as she passes by them to open the door.

Lisa was startled by the beautiful woman who gracefully glides by them and opens the door to allow a well dressed gentleman into the house. She looks to Greg for an explanation, but is pleased to see that he is still slightly dazed. The woman comes back towards them, the gentleman in tow.

"Dr. Cuddy, it is a pleasure to finally have made your acquaintance," she says extending a hand to Lisa. There was no way Lisa was not going to shake this woman's hand although she was still not sure who she was. The hands that enveloped both of her's were warm, gentle and friendly. "I'm Connie, and I've had the dubious pleasure of keeping this particular rascal in line," she says inclining her head towards House. "And I never believe a word he said about you, I know he's mostly full of bluster. And I believe this is the attorney you've been waiting for," she says as she gracefully exits the room.

All three of the occupants that are left in the room look at each other, still a little stunned and not quite sure what had just taken place. Amazingly enough, Lisa is the first to regain her composure, and turns to the lawyer with her administrator grin in place.

"I'm Dr. Cuddy and I'm sure you already know Dr. House," she says by way of greeting. "If you follows us, we can get these papers signed, and then we can all be on our way." She leads the man into Greg's office as if she's been there before; and Greg can do nothing but smile and follow in her wake. Much like Connie, Lisa Cuddy did not know the effect she had members of the opposite sex, that allowed her to lead them like lambs to the slaughter.

**Well we've come to the end of this chapter. Please let me know it you enjoyed it, and I love hearing your suggests.**


	10. Chapter 10: Dads and Daughters

**A/N: Hello everybody and welcome to Chapter 10. It's a little longer and fluffier than the previous chapters, but please forgive me. I've had the pleasure of being off of work for the past week, but I have to get ready to go back, so the chapters may becoming a little slower, but the story will continue. We are about half way through and I am working out the ending.**

**I want to say a HUGE thank you for everyone who has left reviews of any kind. All reviews are greatly appreciated, as well as any suggestions and comments. Please continue to review and let me know what you think. Happy reading!**

Chapter 10: Dads and Daughters

The flight to Chicago was uneventful and Lisa was delighted when they finally pulled up to the front of the hotel that they would be staying at. House gave the keys of their rental car to the valet, while two men emerged from the lobby to gather their luggage. He placed his hand at the small of her back, directing her towards the door that was being held open for them.

"Welcome to The James Chicago," the gentleman says to them in a pleasant voice. Lisa stops and stares at House in shock.

"You have us staying at one of the most exclusive hotels in Chicago?" She asks him turning to face him.

"We'll be here a month, we should at least be comfortable," he replies with a shrug.

"We can be comfortable at the Days Inn," she says sarcastically. "Here at The James Chicago we'll be too pampered to go home."

"Then I guess I better change our reservations to extend throughout your pregnancy," he says with a smirk. His smirk turns into a grin as he watches her mouth drop open, and her grey-blue eyes grow wide.

"You are so sure of yourself," she snarls at him.

"Of course I am," he responds, once again guiding her towards the reception desk. "I have every intention of leaving Chicago with you, pregnant with my child; no matter what I have to do to achieve it." He managed to shock her into speechlessness again; just what he had intended.

"Welcome to The James Chicago, how may I assist you today?" The lovely woman behind the counter greets them.

"Dr. Gregory House checking in," he replies with a smile, handing over his credit card. The young lady taps a few keys on her computer and then looks up to House with a gracious smile.

"I have your reservations for the Penthouse Loft for a complete month," she says taking his credit card and swiping it. Lisa rounds on House again, but before she can say anything, he bends down and kisses her lightly on her lips.

"Just let me do this Lisa," he whispers against her lips. "I want nothing more than to take care of you for the next month. I know that after that all bets are off."

She nods her head unable to give voice to any of the thoughts pouring through her head. He had managed to not only stun her, but also make her feel as if she means something to him. She quietly lets him finish the transaction with Brittany, the receptionist, and get their keys. Brittany lets him know that the concierge is available 24 hours a day, and that there is a spa on the premises. She also lets him know that their luggage had already been taken up to the room, and to not hesitate if there is anything that they need.

House and Cuddy ride up in the elevator in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They have a meeting at the clinic tomorrow morning, but nothing to do between now and then. Greg smiles, a thought running through his head that they should probably avoid being alone together anywhere near a bed, or they could cancel their meeting and hope for the best.

"Why are you grinning like you've hatched some evil plan?" She asks him, giving him a sideways glance. The elevator arrives on their, and the doors slide open soundlessly. They exit and approach one of only two doors on the floor.

"Maybe I have," he replies, his grin getting wider. If he didn't watch out he would erupt into giggles, and then she'd really become worried. Probably have him committed for a couples night observation.

The Penthouse Loft was a spacious two bedroom affair with a large living area, and a small private dinning area. The furniture was modern and the rooms were decorated in a soothing array of colors. Lisa looked around, actually glad for the space; even though she knows that the price for their accommodations was staggering. She was not use to House spending his money so freely.

Lisa was surprised to see a computer and fax machine set up on a desk that was set by the large windows that overlooked the Chicago landscape. There was also two phones set up, a printer, and her Rolodex. She looks at Greg and sees that he is watching her intently. Lisa raises one elegantly arched eyebrow in a silent inquire.

"I know there is no way to actually get you to leave your precious hospital for more than a few days, much less alone for a whole month," he quips sarcastically. "You have everything you need to do most of your job from right there at that desk; but your not allowed to work more than a few hours a day. You've got more pressing things to do while here in Chicago."

"Thank you Greg," she says walking over to him and lightly touching his arm. The small jolt of electricity that passes from her fingers to his sleeve startles them both, and they jump. She drops her gaze down to her hand that's still lightly touching him. Greg takes a deep breath to get himself under control, and wonders how in the hell he is going to manage to keep his hands off her.

"I know you want to check in with your staff, so I'll leave you to it," he tells her taking a small step to the side. "I'm going to crash for a few hours. When your ready for dinner, come wake me and we'll cruise the Chicago Mile for something decadent." With that he limps away to one of the two bedrooms and gently closes the door.

Lisa watches him go, wondering if he was really tired, or if he just wants to get away from her. He confuses her with his push and pull, as if he's waging an internal battle. Well there's nothing she can do about it right this second, so she might as well get something done. She sits at the computer and powers it up, while she places a call to her hospital.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Several hours after the sun had dipped down below the horizon, Lisa stood up and stretched her tired muscles. Once her staff knew how they could reach her, they called about every silly thing. She was forced to give the a guideline about what they could bother her with, and what they could take to Wilson. Her assistant had faxed over reams of paperwork, and at one point Cuddy thought about unplugging the damn machine.

She had spent about an hour on the phone with her parents; taking the time to answer all their questions. They were thrilled at the prospects of becoming grandparents, although the reasons why were quietly pushed to the background. Her parents assured her that they wouldn't allow the reasons why she was having a baby interfere with showering said child with as much love as they could.

After talking with her parents, she placed a call to Braeden. She was worried about him being stuck in a hospital while his parents were in another state, trying to have a baby to save his life. She hoped that Wilson was dropping by often to keep the young boy company.

"Hello," came his distracted reply.

"So what has you so engrossed, you sound like you'd rather chuck the phone out the window than talk to me," she chuckles.

"Hi mom!" He exclaims. Lisa's heart constricts at him calling her mom. It didn't seem to make him uncomfortable in any way, and his easy acceptance of her made her warm all over. Without warning she feels the hot tears coursing down her cheeks.

"Chase and Foreman are here," he explains. "Something about they don't have a patient, and they owed me a whupping."

"So are they winning?" She asks him.

"No, and it's not likely that they ever will," he laughs at the look that Foreman throws him.

"Are you ok?" She asks unable to disguise the concern in her voice.

"I'm fine; don't worry about me right now," he gently chides. "You got a lot to worry about there in Chicago. Wilson says that I should be able to go home at the end of this week, and back to school on Monday."

"You're up for all that?"

"YES!" He exclaims. "I hate sitting here all day, although Audrey is good company. Maybe I can convince her to drop in and check on me."

"You sound like your father," she laughs.

"Is he around?" Braeden asks.

"He's sleep in the other room," she replies. "I can wake him up for you."

"No, that's ok. I'm sure he'll call me later."

"Then I will let you get back to teaching Chase and Foreman their lesson for the day," she tells him before hanging up. Lisa had a smile on her face when she got off the phone with her son. He already had her wrapped tightly around his little finger, and it wouldn't be long before she catered to his every whim.

She got up from the chair she had spent the last several hours in, stretching aching muscles, and realized that it was too late to go out for something to eat. Plus it was unlikely they could find a restaurant with available seating. She grabbed the room service menu and ordered for both of them.

Lisa let Greg sleep while she went into her room to unpack while waiting for room service to arrive. She was nervous about tomorrow's meeting at the clinic, and if she was honest with herself; about what the next month with House was going to be like. They hadn't had to spend so much time in close quarters together and she was sure that when it ended she was going to be nursing a broken heart.

She barely heard the knock on the door indicating that their food had arrived. She went out and signed the check, leaving a generous tip for the waiter. He set everything up on the table in the dining area, and left taking the serving cart with him. It was time to get Greg up so they could eat.

Cuddy walked quietly into his room to find him sprawled across the bed. He was on his stomach with one arm hanging off the side of the bed. She was surprised to find that he had put away his clothes and stowed his suitcase in the closet. Lisa lightly ran her fingers through his hair and down the side of his face; his stubble was rough against her sensitive finger tips. His light sigh brought a smile to her lips and she leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Come on sleepy head, I have dinner," she says right against the shell of his ear. He murmurs something incoherent, and opens his eyes to look at her. She is taken aback by the unguarded emotions in his blue gaze, and can't help placing a swift kiss on his lips.

"Food Greg," she says again. He stares at her hungrily for a moment, then nods his head. Lisa leaves him alone so that he can get himself together, and he is grateful for the few moments of privacy. His leg is throbbing and he has to struggle to a sitting position; it's something he doesn't wish for her to see. He looks at his night stand, notices the glass of water and the two pills. He smiles, she already knows.

"What did you get us?" He asks coming to join her in the dining niche. She had most of the lights turned low, and soft jazz was playing over a stereo he couldn't place. All the curtains were pulled open, and the view of Chicago was stunning. He pulled out his chair and dropped down heavily.

"Gorgonzola salads, porterhouses, double baked potatoes, steamed asparagus in lemon butter, a nice red wine, and if you are a really good boy, banana cream pie with Foster sauce," she replies uncovering each dish. Greg sigh gustily and looks at her with a devilish grin, she definitely knows how to bring him to his knees.

"I will be a really good boy and eat everything you put on my plate to get a piece of that pie; and anything else you want to offer," he tells her, a wicked grin playing around his mouth. Lisa leans back and watches him attack his food, and she feels her heart plummet into her stomach. She was already falling hard for Gregory House; again.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

When Lisa wakes the next morning, she finds that Greg is already dressed, has ordered breakfast, and is talking to some one on the phone. She hops in the shower and then quickly gets dressed. She's still nervous about the meeting at the clinic, and glancing at her watch realizes that they need to be there in about an hour.

She breezes from the room and makes a bee line for the table. She pours herself a cup of tea and grabs a piece of toast; she's to wound up to eat much more than that. Greg finishes his conversation and comes over to the table, where he makes a sandwich and downs his own cup of coffee.

"The twerp says good morning," he tells her.

"I talked to him last night," she replies. "He was entertaining Chase and Foreman."

"Your parents are with him now. Wilson is sending him home tomorrow," he says glancing at her.

"Is that a wise decision?" She asks nervously.

"He'll have 2 sets of grandparents; plus I'm sure that Connie can handle anything that comes up," he says trying to sooth her fraught nerves. "Anyway Connie is a registered nurse, so she can definitely handle any emergencies."

"Your housekeeper is a registered nurse?" Lisa asks dumbfounded.

"I needed some one who could help me medically once I had been released from the hospital," he says with a shrug. "She was willing to live in, take care of all the household stuff, and be there for Braeden when I couldn't. It's been that way ever since."

"She must be really awesome to have stayed with you all these years," Cuddy replies grabbing her coat.

"Actually I pay well. Trust me when I say that it hasn't always been easy, but Connie has been worth every penny and every fight that I've had to go through to keep her."

"I'm sure there is more to this story that you're sharing," Lisa says gliding into the elevator with him directly behind her.

"And if you're a good girl, I'll tell you all about one day," he says with a smirk. She huffs at him when she realizes that he isn't going to tell her anymore. Greg chuckles silent at her mutinous expression.

The trip to the clinic goes by swiftly, and before Lisa knows it Greg is pulling into a parking spot, and escorting her through the front doors. Noticing how nervous she is, he takes her small hand in his and gives it a gentle squeeze. The slight reassurance relaxes her, and she allows the tension to slowly slide away from her.

"Good morning," a pleasant male voice greets them from behind a large reception desk. Having thought about this place as a clinic was not doing it any great service. Lisa looked around and felt as if they had entered the office of an upscale plastic surgeon. The floor beneath their feet was carpeted in a plush deep green, and the wall were painted in a soothing lighter green with white wainscoting. The reception desk was a huge cheery wood affair, and the young man seemed to have been swallowed whole by it.

"How may I help you?" He asks directing his question towards House.

"We have a 9:00 appointment with Dr. Crenshaw," House states rather mildly. The young man doesn't hesitate, but picks up his phone and after a very brief conversation looks at House and smiles. Lisa bites back a grin when she realizes that the young man is openly infatuated with Greg.

"Please follow me, Dr. Crenshaw is waiting for you," he replies coming from around the desk and leading us down a hallway. He stops in front a frosted glass door, opens it and gestures us inside. I turn to say thank you and see the dreamy smile on his face as House brushes pass him into the office. Greg throws a hard glance my way when a small giggle slips, and before Lisa can help it, she outright laughs.

"I'm glad you enjoyed that," he growls in my ear.

"At least you know that if all else fails, he'll be more than thrilled to hold your hand through it," she replies.

House turns his back on Lisa, and faces the Doctor who is standing by his desk waiting for them to join him. He has a file in his hands, and a amused expression on his face. He caught the entire exchange, and Lisa laughs again as Greg's cheeks pinken.

"Dr. House, Dr. Cuddy; it's a pleasure to make your acquaintances," Dr. Crenshaw extends his hand first to Lisa and then Greg. "Please call me Michael, since we'll spending quite a bit of time together. Instead of returning to sit behind his desk, he leads them over to a small conference table, and indicated for them to have a seat. He takes a moment to go through the file that he is holding and then looks up at them.

"You two are not married, but have a 12 year old son, Braeden who is suffering from aplastic anemia," he says. They both nod, hoping that their not being married won't cause any major problems. House reaches into the bag he was carrying and pulls out several large manilla envelopes.

"We share joint legal and physical custody of Braeden," he began. Lisa draws in a sharp breath, not having realized that he had other papers besides the ones she signed drawn up. With out realizing it, tears pool into her eyes and she needs to take a moment to compose herself.

"We have also drawn up legal documents for the disposition of any children born to us through this procedure, and to any embryos that may result," he says handing the papers to Michael. "If that is not sufficient, then we are prepared to do whatever necessary to make the clinic feel..."

"No Dr. House, all we are really concerned with is the legal aspect," Michael interrupts him. "Marriage doesn't guarantee that our clients will behave well ten years down the road. Having these already drawn up saves both of a lot of time."

Lisa and Greg both visibly relax when they realize that they are not going to have to jump through any hoops for this to move forward. House notices that her hands are still shaking and he reaches over and clasps them lightly.

"I didn't know that you were sharing custody of Braeden with me," she leans over and whispers into his ear.

"It was a surprise," he says with a smirk.

"Alright," Michael begins. "You're both doctors so I believe we can cut right to the heart of everything. Lisa you will need to start fertility shots on the third day of your menstrual cycle; which according to the information given to us by Greg, should be in 2-3 days," he glances at her.

"Today is day one, so 2 days," she affirms.

"Ok then, we will need to do a physical and blood work today," he continues. "That goes for both of you, and Greg we'll need a semen sample from you today." House grimaces, but nods silently. "On day 10 of your cycle we will have you come back for an ultrasound to see how the eggs are maturing, and if everything looks good, we'll schedule on day 14 for extraction. We will also fertilize the eggs that day, and they will be frozen for 3 days before we can do the HLA testing. On day 4 after fertilization, you'll be advised as to how many are a genetic match to Braeden and day 5 is implantation. Any questions?" He asks looking at them both. They both shake their heads ad they pretty much had known all this.

"I do have one," Greg says startling Lisa. "Can we know if the embryos are boys or girls?"

"If you want to," Michael says with a smile. "It's a test we don't routinely do for this, and it's not covered by insurance, but we can do it if you want."

Lisa places her hand on Greg's arm. "Do you want to pick the sex?" She asks. She's not quite sure how she feels about it, but she's willing to let him if that is what he really wants.

"No, I don't want to pick the sex of our baby," he says shaking his head. "I do want to know how many of each there are though."

"Well then let's go in the back and get everything started," Michael says standing.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"If this work, are you hoping for a boy or a girl?" Lisa asks Greg, watching him stretch out on the sofa. Since they had gotten back, she had been dealing with stuff from the hospital, while he had been watching his beloved General Hospital.

"Honestly?" He asks.

"Yeah, I want to know what you want," she says grinning at him. "You have experience raising a boy, would you have any idea what to do with a little girl?" She watches his blue eyes grow dark with whatever thoughts her question evoked.

Greg almost stops breathing as he pictures a small replica of Lisa, with her long dark brown hair, and grey-blue eyes. He thought about how quickly she would have him wrapped around her little finger, and everything she desired would be his new quest in life. He pictured himself and Braeden chasing of all her male suitors, starting with the little monsters in her pre-school class, on up to the idiot who thought he would get to marry her. Oh God, the thought of having a little girl terrified the very life out of him.

"Greg, are you ok?" Lisa asks watching the look of terror cross his face.

"I thought I wanted one of each, but now that I think about it, I better stick to another boy," he replies.

"So you wanted a little girl, but now you've changed your mind," she says reading the fax that had just come over the machine.

"I just thought about _my _little girl and all the boys I'd have to beat of with my cane; and trust me when I say I think I just lost 10 years off my life," he says getting up off the couch. "So if you value my sanity, please give me another little boy."

Lisa laughs at the expression of horror that crosses his face. He seems truly terrified of the prospect of having a daughter, so much so that she begins to secretly hope that if this works, she does indeed have a little girl. She thinks Dr. Gregory House could use being brought down a peg or two, and if takes a little girl to do it, then bring it on.

"Come on you," she says grabbing her purse and key. "We have reservations at Smith & Wollensky's; my treat."

"Well why didn't you say so earlier," he grins, grabbing his coat and pulling her from the room. The man really was just a stomach on two legs.

**Come on, hit that little purple button on your way out the door!**


	11. Chapter 11: Making Babies

**A/N: Hello all my wonderful friends. This is the last chapter before I head back to work, so chapters will be a lot slower in coming. There are some interesting plot developments in this chapter, some things I didn't even expect to happen.**

**I want to thank everyone for their reviews. You guys rock, and I always look forward to hearing what you have to say and what you think. Please keep letting me know. Enough out of me, enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 11: Making Babies

"Braeden, I hope you're not biting off more than you can chew," Connie says to the young boy currently investigating contractors on-line.

"Connie, some one needs to do something to help those two," he replies in a huff. He knew that she meant well, but he was determined to see this through; even if both his parents ended up hating him for his interference. "You know as well as I do, that dad can be a passive force in his own life. Willing to interfere in everyone else's, but either to scared or stubborn to do anything about his own."

Connie knew he was right. She had been around Gregory House long enough to know that unless an outside force motivated him, he would just keep running in place. He had been a very bitter man when she had come to work for him, and to be honest that was one of the top reasons why she had taken this job. But she had hoped that some where along the way she would be able to help this brilliant man regain a measure of self, and the will to have a life; not just let life happen to him.

What currently concerned her was the boy who was about to put himself in the line of fire to help his dad. Connie had seen House take apart stronger people than his son, leaving them demoralized and angry; she had no desire to see him do that to his own child. She prayed that he wouldn't, but sometimes he didn't stop to think before he opened his mouth, and crushed the person who was the target of his wrath.

"The worse he'll do is yell at me, and then hole himself up in his office," Braeden comments. "He's yelled at me before, I can handle it; but what I can't handle is them continuing to ignore what's between them in the hopes of not getting hurt again. Life is too damn short for that."

The fierce look on his face let her know that his determination level was at a point that there was no talking him down. Braeden was a creative genius, able to use all his resources to get what he wanted; so much like House that it was at times frightening. Connie shook her head, and decided to get out of the way, before the boy just ran her over in his efforts to do what he believed to be best for his parents.

"Alright little man, but don't say I didn't warn you," Connie replies ruffling his hair. She walks out of the room heading for her suite of rooms in the basement of the house. Greg had turned the basement into a beautifully appointed apartment consisting of a living room, with working gas fireplace, small dining room and kitchenette, a large bedroom with spacious bathroom, and a small office.

She was not surprised to see James lounging on her sofa, flipping through a book on floor samples that Braeden had asked him to peruse. She had long since let go her crush on her employer's best friend. She had watched him go through three painful marriages and silently ached for him each time. But even though they were good friends, it never seemed to go any further than that; at least not for him.

Jimmy heard Connie come down the steps, and surreptitiously watched her out of the corner of his eyes. She was a gorgeous woman, with her caramel colored skin, and dark brown hair that framed an exotic face. Her eyes were a surprising hazel green, that both intrigued and enticed him. Jimmy knew that Connie was a mixture of her African American mother and Samoan father. They had found it too difficult to stay together, so Connie's mother returned to the mainland with her children, and raised them alone. It was this fear that kept Jimmy from trying to advance his relationship with Connie.

"James what are you doing down here?" She asks lightly trailing her fingers along the back of the sofa, close to the back of James' head. She felt the small thrill of being close to him, without actually touching him. She was sure if she ever did touch him, she would instantaneously combust.

"Hiding from the rise and fall of Napoleon," he chuckles.

"Shouldn't you try to dissuade him from this folly?" she asks sitting in the chair across from him. James looks at the large sofa and sighs, she doesn't even like to be close to him.

"I know better than to get in the way of anyone whose last name is House; especially when they're determined," he replies placing the book on her coffee table.

"I do know what you mean, but I'm just worried that this particular harebrained scheme is going to get him into a lot of trouble," Connie says.

"Connie, he doesn't believe he's going to make it," James says with a pained expression on his face. "Braeden is trying to make it so that when he's gone, House isn't left alone. He knows that without him, Greg will fall into an abyss, instead of just teetering on the edge. He doesn't want that to happen, so he believes that if he can get his parents together before he dies, they can help each other through his death."

"My God! I had no idea that this was motivated by thoughts of him dying," she gasps. "Have you talked to him, told him that there is a good chance that with a bone marrow transplant, he'll be perfectly healthy?"

"He's well aware of the odds," he says shaking his head. "I think this will be therapeutic for him, and hell it might just work." He chuckles.

"You're knee deep in this, aren't you?" She asks him with a sly smile.

"Yes ma'am, I am," he says with a grin. "We could use a female voice in the mix. How about it, you want in?"

Connie tilts her head to the side as if giving his idea some serious thought. This would mean that she would get to spend more time with him, and that was well worth any discomfort she'd feel in trying to pull the wool over her boss' eyes.

'Sure I'm in," she replies holding out her hand for him to shake. James looks at her hand, and a evil plan takes root in his head.

"Shaking isn't going to do it," he says, standing up and pulling her up by her offered hand.

"What are doing?" She asks feeling a nervous flutter in the pit of her stomach. James pulls her flush into his body, anchoring her there with a light hand on the small of her back.

"This is serious business ma'am, and we'll need to seal it with a kiss," he replies.

Not wanting to loose the nerve, or give her the time to pull away, Jimmy lowers his lips to hers and brushes her mouth with a soft whisper of a kiss. The fire that rages through his body all but consumes him, and the roaring in his ears deafen him. He takes in a shuddering breath against her lips, and goes to move back. Connie doesn't let him. She wraps her arms around his neck, draws him in closer and deepens the kiss. He groans in the back of his throat as she thrusts her tongue into his mouth. Just as he is about to take control of the kiss, she breaks it off and steps back.

"Now we have a pact. Let me know what I can do to hold up my part of this scheme." And with that she sashays up the stairs to the main level of the house, leaving James utterly confused and aroused in her living room.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Ten days of waiting in hotel room, giving Lisa injections had just about taken their toll on Greg. He was antsy and beginning to show signs of stress. Lisa was glad that they were heading to the clinic today to do the egg extraction and fertilization.

They had kept busy, shopping, exploring parts of Chicago, catching a show or two. She was able to do quite a bit of work, as there were no people coming in and out of her office all day. Sometimes Greg would get mad and take the phones off the hook, and there were a couple of occasions when he answered the phone to yell at who ever was calling.

Lisa came out of her room to find him waiting impatiently at the door, shifting from one foot to the other. His hair was still damp from his shower, and the jeans that were molded to his ass had her heart racing, and heat pooling between her legs. They needed to get this over with soon, so that she could escape back into the sanctuary of her home, where she wouldn't see him everyday. If it didn't happen soon, she was just going to jump him, and probably embarrass herself.

Greg turns to face Lisa as she walks over to him, her coat in her hands. He takes it from her and helps her into it, his hands coming to rest lightly on her shoulders. He turns her to face him, and sees the naked desire in her eyes. He grins slightly and pulls her to him, kissing her hard on the lips. Need slams into him, and he roughly pushes her against the door to the room. He parts her legs with his knee to settle into the way valley of her thighs. The heat radiating from her sends his brain into a stupor and the rest of his boy into overdrive. He feels himself harden and press into her thigh; her hungry growls spurs him on.

Lisa sighs hungrily and matches Greg's fervor in trying to get as close to him as possible. Her hands tangle in his hair, keeping his head from moving while she devours his mouth. He taste of coffee with a hint of chocolate, the taste is an aphrodisiac to her senses. She feels his hand beneath her coat, at the hem of her sweater. She wants him to continue, but she feels him pull away and rest his forehead against her's.

She reluctantly opens her eyes feeling a little hurt, and a whole lot of frustration. She sees the same look mirrored in his eyes, and knows that he is just as effected as she is.

"You know we can't," he says hoarsely. "You probably have way to many targets for me to aim at, and we both know that I'm an overachiever. I would feel it my duty to fertilize every single one of those eggs, and then we'd be in deep shit."

"I know, but it sure as hell doesn't keep me from wanting to drag you down to this floor, and ride you until we both pass out from exhaustion," she murmurs, placing soft kisses along his stubbled jaw.

"Ok woman, that's enough from you," he says pulling her close so he can open the door. "Let's get you out of here before we shock the neighbors." She chuckles as he hurries her from the room at a lighting face pace. By the time she has her wits about her again, there pulling into the parking lot of the clinic.

"That was fast," she grins at him.

"I had a lot of adrenaline to work off," he growls at her, opening the door to the clinic.

Vincent was sitting behind the reception desk and grinned as he caught sight of House coming through the door. House groans in the back of his throat, not wishing to put up with Vincent's obvious infatuation.

"Can you tell Dr. Crenshaw that we're here," he says a little harshly. Vincent's dark brow eyes cloud a little with hurt, but he nods, picks up the phone and places the call.

"He's says you can come back to his office," Vincent says once again smiling at House.

"Thanks Vincent, we appreciate your help," Lisa replies taking Greg by the hand and leading him down the hall. Greg frowns at her, especially after the glowing look Vincent threw his way.

"You just had to do that, didn't you?"

"Just couldn't help myself," she giggles.

"You're going to pay later," he hisses close to her ear. The heat from his breath tickling the sensitive shell of her ear, has heat spiraling through her again. She turns her head to look at his face, and sees his mischievous grin. She grins back, promising an equal payback later.

"Greg, Lisa, come on in," Mike says to them enthusiastically. "Are you guys ready for this?" They both nod, ad he claps his hands together.

"Alright, Greg do you wish to be present for the extraction?" He asks. "Normally we don't allow this, but since you're a doctor we'd like to extend the courtesy to you."

Greg glances at Lisa to see how she feels about it. She shrugs her shoulders letting him know that she didn't have a problem with it.

"Yeah I 'd like to observe," he replies. For some strange reason he wanted to remain close to Lisa, just in case she needed him for any reason. "You don't need another sample?"

"No, the one from yesterday has already been treated and is ready to go," Mike says, escorting them from the room. "You have great numbers and mobility, so the one sample is more than enough."

"You just had to tell him that," Lisa quips, as Greg's smile grew to astronomical proportions. He was going to be hell to live with for the next few days.

"Lisa, you can change in her, and hen come through that door," Mike tells her. Before she closes the door on the small changing room, Greg steps close to her and brushes his lips across her's.

"I'll be there the whole time. I won't let anything happen to you," he whispers to her, and then steps out the room to follow Mike next door. Lisa feels tears well up into her eyes as her heart clenches painfully. Why did this have to be so hard?

It only took Lisa a few minutes to get changed and step through the door into the larger room next door. Mike and Greg were there talking to another man, while two nurses moved around the room checking the equipment. When one of the nurses spots her, she beckons Lisa over to the table and helps her to get settled. The other man comes over and introduces himself as the doctor who will administer her anesthesia. He gets her comfortable, and starts an iv; before she knows it Lisa is feeling drowsy and her eyes begin to close.

"I'm right here Lisa," she hears Greg say to her, and she answers him with a smile before everything goes dark.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Well what do you think?" James asks Connie, as he and Braeden give the last once over on the 3 converted bedrooms.

Connie thinks that the contractor they hired should be given a bonus for not only getting the job done on time, but for putting together a beautifully appointed suite of rooms. They were still waiting for the furniture to arrive, and the plumber to come and put in the finishing touches on the en suite, but other than that the rooms were already inviting and soothing.

The sitting room was a large airy affair, with french doors leading out to the back patio and pool area. The room had been painted a soft yellow, and the carpet was a shade darker. Chair rails and crown molding had been added, along with a beautiful fireplace. Connie moved to the large bedroom, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the rose garden. The room had been painted a very delicate shade of mauve, and the carpet they chose was a luxurious cream color. It invited you to take your shoes off, and walk bare foot. The bathroom boasted a corner jetted tub with built in heat liner, and a separate two person shower. The room had a definite Mediterranean feel, and Connie had decided to have her bathroom redone to duplicate this one.

"I think we've outdone ourselves," she says smiling coyly at James.

"We left the nursery for Lisa to decorate," he says coming to stand next to her. "Braeden is going to start on his campaign to get House to invite her to stay."

"He hasn't been looking to well," Connie tells him. "Are you sure he's well enough to still be out of the hospital?"

"He goes in tomorrow for a transfusion, I'll run some blood test and see if maybe he needs to stay for a couple of days; he could be coming down with an infection."

"Have you talked to Greg or Lisa recently?" Connie asks him, brushing past him to leave the suite of rooms. Jimmy sucks in deep breath at the small contact. He's wanted to kiss her again since their last kiss in her living room, but he's been too nervous and afraid that she wouldn't be receptive.

"Yes today is implantation day, and both a more than a little worried," he chuckles following her to the kitchen. She had invited him to stay for dinner with them, but Braeden had informed her that it would be just the her and Jimmy, as his grandparents were coming to take him out. Connie was looking forward to it.

"Here, take these plates and set the table on the deck," she says handing him a stack of dishes. He raises one eyebrow, but walks out the door onto the deck and begins setting the table. After a few minutes, she brings out two covered serving platter and goes back in for more. Jimmy comes in to give her a hand, and she passes him 3 bowls while she grabs a bottle of wine and 2 glasses.

"Everything smells delicious," he says taking covers off the dishes. Some how she had managed to fix all his favorites; he wasn't even aware that she knew what his favorite foods were. He glances up at her, and sees that she is watching him with smoldering eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He asks getting drawn into her gaze.

"I'm jut wondering how long it's going to take you to make the next move, so that we can move this relationship into the bedroom?" She asks coyly.

James was just taking a sip of his wine when she answers him, he manages to swallow the liquid down the wrong pipe and begins to choke. Connie jumps up, and pounds him on his back apologizing the whole time for shocking him. Once he could breathe again, Jimmy pulls her into his lap and forcibly pulls her head down so that he could kiss her.

"Why didn't you say something before," he asks against her lips.

"I didn't want to scare you off," she replies kissing him back.

"I hope you don't mind, but too hell with dinner; I'm moving right to dessert," he says lifting her into his arms, and striding into the house, and down to her apartment.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Greg, Lisa," Mike says walking into the exam room were they had been waiting for him for about 15 minutes. They were both nervous as hell, and had been sitting on pins and needles for the last 5 days.

"Mike," they both say in unison.

"Ok, you guys know that we retrieved 35 eggs; which let me say was fantastic," he replies looking through their combined charts. "We only had to discard 5, so 30 were fertilized, and all did quite well. They have been tested and there are 14 genetic matches to Braeden. He pauses for a moment to let them absorb everything before continuing.

"Now before we continue, I want to give House the results of the gender test. Of the 14 that are matches to Braeden 11 are girls and 3 boys. The other 16 divide to an amazing 12 girls and 4 boys," Mike says smiling at them. Even Lisa smirks at the look of horror on Houses face.

"Do you want to just implant the males?" She asks him sweetly. The look he gives her makes her giggle, and she reaches over to caress his cheek.

"No, but it does seem as of the forces of nature are trying to conspire against me," he grumbles glaring at Mike.

"Hey Greg, I just used what you gave me," Mike says throwing his hands in the air. "I didn't even separate the little guys to give the girls an unfair advantage."

"Just make sure you randomly select which once are getting implanted," House glares at Mike.

"No problem man, I'd hate to have to face you in fight," he chuckles. "Ok guys, how many are we implanting?" Lisa and Greg look a each other, and shake their heads.

"We're going with your advise and implanting 4 today," Lisa answers him. She is terrified that none of the embryos would attach, and they would have to try again. But she was determined to continue until the outcomes was one they were looking for.

"Alright, I'll go and get the four, and we'll proceed," he says heading for the door. "Greg you want to pick them out so you can't accuse me of cheating?" House glances at Cuddy and she nods her assent, knowing that it will make him feel more in control.

It only took them a few minutes to go to the lad and return with everything they'd need to complete the whole process. Lisa could not believe that in 2 weeks she could possibly be pregnant. With Gregory House's child, again. The thought brought instant tears to her eyes, as she heard Mike tell her to relax, and he' d be done in a moment.

She felt Greg grab her hands and brush hair off her face. She felt his breath against her ear, and realized that he was whispering into her ear.

"Don't fret, it's going to work," he says kissing her lightly. "Two weeks from now you'll find out that you're pregnant with my child for the second time in your life. I promise you that I will be there every moment this time. I'll do anything you ask me, be anything you want me to be."

"Ok Lisa, we're all done," Mike says gently. "I want you to just lay her for about a half hour, and then you guys can leave. Take it easy, and I'll see you in 2 weeks." He and the nurse leave the room, giving the couple inside some much needed privacy.

They sat in silence just holding onto each others hands, needing the reassurance that only they could provide each other. They were both lost in their own thoughts, thoughts that swirled around wether or not this would work, and if they would be able to save their son.

**A/N 2: Ok guys, it's up to you guys. I haven't decided how many (if any) of the embryos are going to take and wether are not we are looking at boys or girls (or both). I willing to hear what you guys have to say and what you want to see hppen to these two. Let me know, hit the purple button!**


	12. Chapter 12: Rediscovering Greg & Lisa

**A/N: This chapter contains SMUT! At first I wasn't sure, but something took over and there be smut here. There is a little bit of information relevant to the story, but it all comes before the smut, so if you can skip the smut if that is not your thing.**

**I am also sorry that this chapter took so long, but it took me longer to get back into the swing of things after going back to work. And I wish to say a HUGE THANK YOU for everyone who left a review and told me what they would like to see if the baby category. You still have time to get your opinion in as I won't be revealing that for a couple of more chapters.**

Chapter 12: Rediscovering Greg & Lisa

Lisa jumps as Greg's cell phone shatters against the hotel wall. It had been an hour since they had left the clinic after having her blood drawn for the pregnancy test. Mike had told them to call around noon to get the results. She glances at her watch and see it is just after 11:30. Lisa glances up at Greg nervously, fear creeping into her eyes.

"Braeden's back in the hospital," he says in a rush. Lisa tries not to let out her sigh of relief; for a moment there all her hopes that she was actually pregnant had been crushed.

"What happened?" She asks coming to sit next to him on the sofa. Her heart was now racing for a different reason altogether. Their son was sick, and being away from him had almost made her forget that fact.

"Jimmy says he's running a high fever," Greg replies absentmindedly. "He is probably fighting another infection, and Jimmy thought it better to have him admitted to the hospital where he could keep a close eye on him."

Lisa could hear the stress and fear that laced Greg's words. He wanted to rush to his son's side and be there should Braeden need him. She understood exactly how he felt, but she needed to stay here; just in case things didn't go the way they wanted them to go.

"You don't need to stay," she says putting her hand on his shoulder to draw his attention to her. "You can catch the next flight out to Jersey and be there in no time." She wants to reassure him that she'd be alright without him, she'd be lonely with him gone, but Braeden needed him more right now.

"I'm not leaving you here alone," he replies vehemently. "Remember, we're in this together."

"Greg, your part in this is done," she protest. "I can stay here by myself, I am a grown up after all. Braeden is a frightened kid, and he needs one of us to be there with him right now, and I'm sure he'd want that to be you."

"Look Lisa, we'll find out in less than a half hour if this worked," he says pushing off of the sofa. "We can both wait until then before we make any rash decisions." She took note of the stubborn set of his jaw and realizes that she was not going to win this argument; but there was something she could do.

"Alright," she sighs. "But I'm going to check the outgoing flights; if I am pregnant then we don't have to wait 4 more days to leave. We can be on the next flight out."

"Ok, but if your not, we stay and do this again; together," he tells her in his no nonsense voice. She knew he liked having control and she was willing to give him that just to keep him from sliding into a deep depression.

The room descends into an uneasy quiet as Lisa checks the out going flights, and Greg paces around restlessly. Something was on his mind, but Lisa knew better than to prod him. When he was ready he'd share, he'd talk to her or maybe not; with Greg you could never be sure.

"Lisa, there's something else I want to talk to you about," he says from across the room. Did she know the man or what? She turns in the chair to look at him, and is caught unaware by the vulnerability on his face. He looks nervous, and she watches as he fiddles aimlessly with his cane.

"What is it Greg?" She asks feeling dread creep up her spine.

"If you're pregnant, I want," he pauses and runs his hand through his hair. "I want you to think about staying with us. No I don't want you to think about it, I want you to stay at the house with me."

Lisa stares at him in shock. She can't believe that Greg was inviting her into his private sanctuary; a place he had kept closed off to all of them for years. He wasn't inviting her over for dinner, but to stay, with him.

"Greg I don't..." she stops as he begins to slowly stalk his way closer to her. In the back of her mind she thinks it should be illegal that a man with a cane and a limp should be able to stalk her like she's prey. She licks her lips nervously as he gets closer, pulling her up out of the chair and anchoring her against his body.

"No Lisa, let me finish," he says to her in a slow growl. "I want to get this out before you have a chance to shoot me down.

"Alright Greg," she replies. She realizes that he is using his closeness to distract her so that she wouldn't be able to concentrate fully on a rebuttal argument. Lisa smiles at his deviousness and his obvious desire to get what he wants.

"If you're pregnant, I don't think you should be alone. If something happens to you, no one would know until it was possibly to late to help you or the baby." She watches as the idea of something happening to her, or the baby sends a shudder through his big frame. He was already emotionally committed to having another child with her, and it thrilled her to think that Greg might care for her as more than the person who could help save his son's life.

"My house is more than big enough for all of us to live there comfortably, plus Connie is there full time," he tells her. While he's talking, Greg is rubbing small circles onto her back, making the skin tingle where he touches. If he keeps this up, Lisa won't care what he is offering, instead she is going to rip the poor man's clothes off and have her wicked way with him.

"You would also get to be closer to Braeden," he says. His voice has grown a little huskier, and that sends another thrill along Lisa's spine. "You'll get spend more time with him, get to know the rascal, meet his friends and let him get to know you."

Inside Lisa was jumping for joy. She could have unlimited access to her son, and the two of them could work on building a relationship together. She knew that she could never make up for the 12 years that she missed, but she would have an opportunity to share his life on a day to day basis, instead of just weekend visitations. Lisa felt Greg pull her closer into his body, almost as if he was trying to absorb her. A sudden thought flashes through her mind, momentary quieting the desire that was building.

"And what do you get out of this Gregory House?" She asks him breathlessly. Greg never did anything unless he benefitted in some way. His hands stilled slightly, and she heard the hitch in his breathing. Lisa pulls back so that she could look into his eyes, not letting him hide from her.

"I get something that I missed out on the first time that you were pregnant with MY child," he says forcefully. She hears the note of possession in his voice, and for the first time Lisa is beginning to understand something that she missed for many years. As far as Greg was concerned, she belonged to him, and he was completely unwilling to share her with any other man. The thought made her heart stop, and hope to burst through her entire body. She wasn't sure what she was hoping for, this was Greg after all, but she was determined that she was going to take whatever this man offered, but he was damn well going to work for it.

"And that would be what exactly?" She asks, wanting him to say it, needing to hear him say it.

"I get to watch as my child grows inside you," he whispers. His voice is laced with fear, knowing that he is handing her everything she needs to unman him, but he's determined to give her what she wants. His hand travels between their bodies to settle on her flat abdomen. "I get to be there the first time you have an ultrasound done, to hear my child's heart beating, to feel him kick. I get to watch as you shelter the small life we made together, and I have every intention to be there when you bring our child into the world. I missed that with Braeden, and nothing, not even death will make me miss it this time."

Lisa is speechless. She would have sworn that she knew Greg like no one else, but he has managed to surprise her. He always seems so detached from the world and everything in it, but right now she's seeing a apart of him that she is sure he has allowed no one else access to. She knows that she needs to tread very carefully here, and that one wrong step could end this before it ever really begins.

"There are a lot more details that we would need to work out before I just move in with you," she says tentatively. "We might want to wait until we find out that I AM pregnant," she says to him with an impish smile. Greg couldn't help himself, so he leaned down and lightly kissed the smile off her lips. She was panting slightly as he pulls back, a satisfied grin on his face. "We will definitely need some ground rules if I'm going to be staying with you." Lisa mutters.

The telephone ringing splits the heated tension, and Lisa tries to grab the phone from behind her. Greg tightens his hold on her and beats her to it. He mutters a greeting and then begins to nibble on her ear. She feels him stiffen slightly and then his body relaxes into her's. Lisa decides that two can play at this game, and begins to trail soft kisses over Greg's jaw and down to the pulse in his neck. She nips him, and feels him jump in her arms. He tightens his hold on her as a warning, but she ignores it and continues her downward trek.

Before she can continue her assault on his body, Greg hangs up the phone and brings her mouth up for a hard demanding kiss. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, and at the same time he pulls her hips closer into him. Lisa moans at the feel of his hard length pressing into her; she bites his bottom lip and then soothes it with small licks. She hears him growl, and laughter bubbles up into the back of her throat.

"Greg we can't do this," she says trying to bring her warring body back under control. Mike told them no sex until pregnancy was achieved. He never questioned the nature of their relationship, but Lisa had an idea that Mike knew there was tension simmering just beneath the surface between the two of them.

"The hell we can't," Greg says hauling her back into his arms. He begins to unbutton her sweater, sweeping it from her shoulders, and then going to work on the shirt underneath it. In the mean time he is placing small nipping kisses along her collarbone, working his way down to the valley between her breast. Lisa knows that if she doesn't stop him soon, she's not going to.

"We have to stop now," she tells him trying to force some distance between them. "I know you remember what Mike told us; we've come too far to blow it at this point."

He ignores her attempts to disentangle their bodies, and he also gives up on getting her shirt off nicely. Lisa hears the fabric tear and buttons going flying around the room. She watches as he removes the mangled garment from her body, and licks his lips in anticipation. Her bra doesn't stand a chance against him, and she shivers as the cool air touches her exposed breast, the nipples tightening. There is no desire to cover herself from Greg's voracious gaze, and when he takes one of the peaked nipples into the warmth of his mouth, Lisa almost screams.

Greg suckles and nips first on nipple then the other. He caresses and massages both of the globes that he can barely hold in his hands. He sighs deeply and hopes he can go slow enough to bring them both to orgasmic satisfaction.

"The last thing I remember Mike saying was, _"Congratulations Greg! Lisa's pregnancy test is positive, so I think you two are in need of celebrating." _So I'm following the good doctor's advise and I am celebrating."

Lisa's world tilts wildly as she feel Greg's mouth on her again, and her brain registers the words that she is pregnant. She pulls his head up so that she can look into his face, and the smile that greets her, bring tears to her eyes instantly. He leans down and kisses the salty tracks away and nips at her lips.

"I told you not to worry woman," he says against her lips. She parts them, allowing him access to her mouth. "I know you can't resist anything I give you, and I wanted to give you this. I wanted to do it last year, but for some reason I wanted you to ask."

"I couldn't bring myself to ask you," she whispers. "And you wouldn't offer."

"Would you believe me if I told you that fear made me unable to offer you my genetic contribution," he replies.

"I have a hard time believing you to be afraid of anything," she says to him while removing his shirt. The man was still wreaking havoc on her body, placing hot kisses along her shoulders and collarbone. His hand had continued to caress her breast, playfully pinching and rubbing her nipples until she was about ready to scream with frustration.

"Silly woman," he growls. He had distracted her enough that she had yet to realize that he had maneuvered them over to the entrance to his room. "Rejection from you is enough to bring me to my knees. We need to work on your powers of observation."

"I only seem to wear blinders where you're concerned," she replies as her fingers make quick work of his pants and boxers. Greg carefully steps out of them, while Lisa allows her eyes to travel down the full length of his body. He has always been well formed and defined, and it seems nothing has changed about that. She runs her hands down his chest, skimming swiftly over his stomach, and coming to rest against the heated length of his erection. He pushes into her hands, his eyes closing on a soft moan, as she grips him tightly.

"If we don't move this to the bed soon, I'm going to spill my seed all over your delicate hands, and trust me when I say that is not the way I envision this going," he growls, gently pushing her to the bed. Greg sits on the edge of the bed and pulls her between his legs. He runs his fingertips along her spine, while placing kisses along her navel. He takes his time removing her pants, leaving her standing before him in nothing but her red silk thong.

"I had prayed every night of my life that you still wore these scraps for underwear," he whispers burying his face against the warmth between her thighs. Lisa takes a shuddering breath as she feels his fingers move the fabric aside and his breath brushes the curls between her legs. He completely removes the thong from her body, as his fingers part her curls to find her sensitive center. He lightly pinches her clit, and elicits a small scream from Lisa, as her body arches against his hand.

"So you like that do you?" He asks as he slides a finger into her tight sheath, while his thumb circles her sensitive nub. Greg smiles as she thrust against his finger, panting heavily.

"More Greg," she entreats him. "Please..I...want more."

"What do you want my sweet?" He asks thrusting another finger into her. The heat of her closing around his fingers makes his shaft grow harder. He wants to replace his thrusting digits with his erection, but the sounds Lisa is making as his fingers pleasure her are driving him wild.

"I need you inside," she growls, her body bucking hard against his hand. He feels the walls of her vagina tightening around him, and knows that she is close to losing it.

"DAMN IT Greg, I want you inside now!" She screams.

Not wanting to deny her, Greg slams her down onto the bed and grabs hold of her hips, and enters her in one powerful thrust. He knows he is a large man and he doesn't wish to hurt her, but Lisa won't be denied. She arches her hips up to meet his thrust, taking his full length into her. They both groan at the sensations coursing through their bodies, remembering what the other felt like and what they each liked.

Greg knew Lisa liked it deep and hard, so he lifts her legs to his shoulders and sank further into her. Her eyes widen at the feeling of him stretching her, and filling her completely with his shaft. A slow smile spread across her lips as she realizes that he remembered what she enjoys about sex, especially sex with him. Lisa knows that Greg likes an active partner, one that could set up a counter rhythm to his own that would bring them both to screaming ecstacy. She hadn't forgotten and she was the first to move, pulling her hips back so that only the head of his shaft was still inside of her. Greg let out a strangled groan as he sank back into her warmth, to have the same action repeated on her part. Before long they were both breathing heavily and Greg grabbed hold of Lisa's hips so that he could thrust into her faster.

He felt her orgasm hit her hard, she threw back her head and screamed his name like he loved to hear it from her. It was torn form her lungs in a powerful burst of sound that sent him over the edge, spilling himself into her. He liked when she called him Greg instead of House, but when she screamed Gregory as if she couldn't control it, he felt like he ruled the world. He gently took her legs from his shoulders, collapsing next to her on the bed. She rolls toward him, and he gathers her against his chest, lightly stroking her back as their breathing returns to normal.

Lisa covers them both with the duvet, while she floats in the heavenly comfort of House's embrace. If she's honest with herself, she realizes that she missed having him in her life like this, and although she knows it's wrong, she thanks God that her son has fallen ill and allowed her this moment with Greg again.

"I know we did this for Braeden, but thank you for helping me get pregnant; you knew it was something I wanted," she whispers against his neck.

"To be honest with you, had you gotten pregnant before I think I would have left Princeton," he replies still stroking her back.

"If we hurry we can make the next flight back to Jersey," she says to him as she glances at the clock. She feels Greg tighten his hold on her, almost as if he doesn't wish to let her go.

"We can go in the morning," he replies kissing the top her head and falling asleep with the only woman he has ever loved safely ensconced in his arms.

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was mostly a filler, and next chapter we will be back in New Jersey with surprises coming at our friends from all directions. Please leave me a review, I've missed hearing from you guys!**


	13. Chapter 13: Christmas At The Big House

**A/N: Hello everyone!! I finally managed to get this chapter finished, and trust me when I say it gave me a fit. There is no detailed smut in this chapter just to let you know.**

**I wanted to say a hug thanks to everyone who left a review, you guys a awesome! We are nearing the 100 review mark and you seem to still like this story. And to think I was so nervous I almost didn't write this fanfic. So a hug thank you to everyone who has read it and continues to read it.**

Chapter 13: Christmas At The Big House

Lisa Cuddy took a few moments to look at her son, sprawled across the sectional sofa in the family room surrounded by presents on all sides. The house had been inundated with family over the past 3 days, and with them came gifts of all shapes and sizes. She had caught both House and Braeden shaking packages and arranging them by name. She smiled at the memory of their two guilty faces when they realized they had been caught red handed.

She knew tomorrow would be a very busy day for everyone, and although it was well past midnight both she and Connie were still up cooking for tomorrow's dinner. House's parents as well as his sister, her husband and their two boys had been distributed amongst the guest rooms. A surprise visit in the form of House's cousin Chris and his wife Mel had sent Lisa into a state of emotional turmoil. She had been so happy to see her friend that she grabbed Melanie in a hug, and the two refused to separate for several tearful minutes. House had been gracious enough to give up his room to the couple and their daughter, saying he could sack out in Braeden's room if necessary.

Her parents were still using her house, and had decided to stay in New Jersey for the foreseeable future. Her sister Rachel and her fiance had arrived as well as her brother, his wife and 3 kids. All the gifts had been dropped off at Greg's and were waiting for everyone to descend upon his place tomorrow for an early dinner, and paper ripping. All the kids, and Greg, were so excited that it had been a small miracle that they had managed to get to sleep. Greg on the other hand was in his alcove playing his piano, hoping Lisa would go to bed soon, so he could sneak back into the family room for some more present shaking.

Lisa went into the large kitchen and sighed. This was by far her favorite room of the house. Both her and Greg had been surprised when they had arrived here from Chicago to find the suite that Braeden had put together for her. She was stunned by the simple beauty of the rooms, and the fact that her son had managed to create the perfect oasis for her without really knowing her. The option of going home had gone out the window when she had seen the room that her son had painstakingly put together for her.

"So has the twerp finally given up on getting you to let him open just one gift?" Connie asks as she removed several pies from the oven.

"Yes, he has finally passed out in the family room," she replies sliding four trays of peanut butter cookies into the double oven. Lisa had found out that both Greg and her brother Alex loved peanut butter cookies with little Hershey kisses on top, and some how she had gotten roped into making both of them their own personal batches.

"I can't thank you enough for your help," Lisa says to Connie as both women continue to work in harmony together. "I should have known that both of our families would descend upon us, and expect to be fed on top of it."

"I'm actually enjoying myself," Connie replies. "Usually House and Braeden go to his parents, and I either spend Christmas alone, or on the rare occasion visit my brother. So to be honest this is nice."

"When did you have time to do all these hor'dourves?" Lisa asks in a shocked voice as she peers into the refrigerator. Arranged on lovely silver trays was an assortment of tempting delicacies including, stuffed mushrooms, mini quiches, dried tomato humus, scallop puffs, and spinach balls. It took a lot of control for Lisa to not snag a couple of the treat and pop them in her mouth.

"Those would all be Greg's doing," Connie replies with a smile. She knew that Greg was an excellent cook, and when Lisa was out doing some very last minute shopping, he had snuck into the kitchen and whipped up a few things. She also knew that hiding in the back of the cavernous refrigerator was a double chocolate Godiva cheesecake. That was a special surprise for Lisa.

"Dr. Gregory House?" Lisa asks in a stunned voice. She had no idea that Greg knew his way around a kitchen, much less alone make those hor'dourves.

"Surprising isn't it," Connie says passing Lisa trays for the pickle and cheese platters. "Actually Greg does quite a bit of the cooking around here. If you try his apple cinnamon pancakes, you'll be willing to serve yourself up to him, they are simply to die for."

Lisa's hand settled on her stomach and she realizes that she is already willing to be served up to Greg House. She smiles at the sensation of euphoria that fills her when she thinks about the baby or babies nestled deep in her body. She has only felt a little nauseousness, and some light headiness, but for the most part she has felt great. Lisa also thinks about the looks House gives her when he thinks she isn't looking. He's immensely proud of himself, as if he has accomplished something no other man has ever been able to.

"I think we are done for the night," Connie says placing the peanut butter cookies on cooling racks. They still had plenty more to do, but it would have to wait until morning. And neither woman wanted to think about breakfast, as far as they were concerned everyone could eat a bowl of cereal.

"There is one more task for me to take care of and then I am off to bed," Lisa says tilting her head to the side as the strains of the piano float into the kitchen. After a quick look around to make sure that everything was settled, Lisa turns off the kitchen light and walks towards the other side of the house.

Lisa watches Greg for a moment from the small hallway. He has changed into a pair of sweats and a tee shirt, feet bare, and hair still slightly damp from his shower. She watches as his body sways in time with the music he's playing, his graceful fingers gliding over the piano. He was entranced by the music he was making, and she was enthralled with the man who should have been a musician. She believed he would have been more at peace had he followed that path, instead of the one that led him to being a doctor.

"Were you planning on coming in, or do you prefer to stare at me from the shadows?" He asks never once pausing. Lisa moves forward and joins him on the bench, their legs brushing casually against each other. "Are you off to bed now, or are you planning on torturing me some more?"

"And exactly how am I torturing you?" She asks leaning into his side. Right now he is soft and yielding, allowing most of his defenses down, and she knows that is only because of her. For the most part he is still the bitter, snarky, misanthropic doctor was belittles his patients and badgers everyone on her staff. But lately when it's just the two of them, he softens and tuns into a man she is sure most women would kill for.

"The smells coming from my kitchen have been playing havoc with my stomach all night," he replies. At that moment his stomach rumbles loudly adding it's two cents into the conversation.

"Well since you have managed to be a good boy, you can grab a couple of peanut butter cookies on your way to bed," she says into his ear. Greg turns his head enough so that his lips can brush her's, sending tiny waves of pleasure coursing through her. "And you won't have to share the bed with Braeden, he's passed out in the family room."

"Probably faking it," House says. "He's just waiting for us to both go to bed so he can shake some more packages. Speaking of packages I couldn't help but notice a very sizeable bag from the Apple store entered my house about 2 weeks ago." He looks at her with one raised eyebrow, and a very hopeful expression on his face. Lisa can't help but laugh; she knows that Greg is just a little boy underneath that very rough facade.

"You are going to have to wait until everyone gets here before you find out if any of it was for you," she replies patting his cheek. Not only was both their families descending on them, but a few close friends were also coming over for dinner. They both knew that Wilson was downstairs with Connie, and they planned to give him a good bit of grief over it later.

"Come on Lisa, you can give me a hint," he says with a pout. Instead of replying, Lisa captures his lips and kisses the pout off his face. "Or you can continue to do that." He mummers against her soft mouth. She obliges him for several moments until he pulls back breaking the kiss. When she opens her eyes and is able to focus, she sees a large, flat black velvet box floating in front of her face.

"What is this?" She asks eyeing him suspiciously. There's no mistaking that the box is from a jewelers, and based on it's size whatever was lurking in there had to have cost a small fortune.

"Something that I've been holding onto for many years now," he say pressing the box into her hands. The velvet was warm from him having held it, and Lisa took a moment to just savor the feel of his heat. She carefully lifts the lid, and almost drops the box onto the floor, a small gasp escaping her lips.

Nestled inside was a diamond and sapphire necklace, teardrop sapphire earrings surrounded by diamonds, and a matching sapphire and diamond tennis bracelet. Lisa stops breathing as the memories sweep through her.

She and Greg had just finished having dinner at a local pub near her apartment in Boston, and were walking down a crowded street, when something had caught her eye. She had walked over to the window and saw a beautifully crafted sapphire and diamond bracelet in the window. She loved jewelry, but what had caught her attention was that the sapphires reminded her of the look that had been in Greg's eyes that afternoon as he made love to her. They had been having sex for some time, but today was different. Greg was gentle, tender, taking immense pleasure in loving her, and that was when she realized that he was pouring all of the emotions he had kept buried into making love to her. Lisa had felt elated and nothing could take away that euphoria. Little did she know that night, it would all be over a couple of months later.

"I can't believe that you bought this, and that you kept it all this time," she says looking at him with tears in her eyes.

"The look in your eyes when you saw that bracelet took my breath away," he replies, trying to hide his embarrassment. Greg House didn't do sentimentality well, hell he didn't do it all.

"I was thinking about you when it caught my attention," she admits. "But you kept it all these years?"

"It was for you," he says simply with a slight shrug of his shoulders. "I bought it with you in mind, and the thought of giving it to anyone else is abhorrent. So Merry Christmas Dr. Cuddy."

"Thank you Dr. House," she replies with a slight catch to her voice. She fingers the necklace reverently, smiling at the thought of wearing something given to her by Greg. She feels like she belongs to him and for some reason it felt right.

"Come on woman, it's late and your brother says they'll be here by seven," House says pulling himself up from the piano bench. His leg aches from having been sitting in the same position for a few hours, plus the amount of time he had spent in the kitchen cooking. He was going to pay dearly later on, but in the mean time he popped a couple of Vicodin to ease the constant throbbing.

"I can massage that leg for you if you want," Cuddy offers seeing him wincing with each step he took. The thought of her delicate hands on his bare thigh had other parts of his body standing up to take notice, and before he could hide it, Lisa notices too. "So is that hell yes I want you to massage _it_," she says with a husky laugh.

"Damn it woman, just make sure you don't scream loud enough to wake our son," he replies following her to her suite.

"Or your parents," she says coyly, watching as he turns a lovely shade of pink. She was definitely going to have a Christmas to remember if the look in his eyes were any indication.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It seemed like only a few minutes had passed since Greg had closed his eyes after a marathon session with Lisa; when he felt the bed he was trying to sleep in dip with the enthusiastic jumping of his son. Greg cracks open an eye to see his son perched in the middle of the large bed trying to wake him up. He looks over to the other side of the bed and notices that Lisa is not there.

"I'm not going to ask why you're sleeping in here," Braeden says with a knowing smile. "She's already up and fixing breakfast; and everyone else is here. We are waiting on you to open gifts, so come on dad let's get a move on it. There's coffee, bacon, eggs, pancakes and 2 Vicodin with your name on it in the kitchen."

"Alright I'm on my way," Greg grumbles heaving himself from the bed. Braeden scampers from the room so that his father could get ready in peace. He was excited that his cousins were there, and that the house was so full of presents that it would surely take all day to get everything open.

Braeden tried not to say anything when he saw his Uncle Jimmy come upstairs from Connie's apartment, arms laden with even more packages. He just gave him a sly look and stuffed a large amount of pancakes into his mouth. Jimmy said he was still a cheeky brat, even with his mouth full.

Lisa watches as her son bounds pass the kitchen and into the family room where all of the kids were gathered around on the sofas oohing and ahhing over all the gifts. If Greg didn't get in there soon, there would be pandemonium and not just from the kids, her brother and his brother in law were just as hungrily eyeing the packages as the kids.

"I know I just closed my eyes," he says as he shuffles into the kitchen. Connie hands him a cup of coffee and a plate filled with eggs and bacon. He smiles and immediately begins to wolf down the food.

"Stop complaining," Lisa growls at him. "Your son woke me up 2 hours ago, because he was hungry and a bowl of cereal would just not do. Something about a Christmas breakfast tradition." She may have been up longer than him, but to Greg she looked very well put together, good enough to eat in fact.

"Keep eating your eggs, I'm not going to be your breakfast," she says stealing a glance at him. "And lunch is out of the question as well."

"Don't worry about lunch, I have that covered," he says winking at her. Both Lisa and Connie look up at him in surprise. The look on his face lets them know that he has a secret and he wasn't planning on sharing it with them.

"Dad are you done yet?" Braeden yells from the family room. They heard several more voices pipe up for him to hurry. Greg heaves a sigh and begins to make his way into the family room. He grabs Lisa on his way pass, and a handful of trash bags.

"If I have to brave the frenzy, so do you," he says at her outraged squawk. Thankfully some one had the foresight to separate the packages into piles for each person. Greg and Lisa's fathers each had a camcorder in their hands, and were busily filming the scene unfolding around them. The couple took a seat on the sofa behind their son, and he leaned back to smile at them. This was all he really wanted for Christmas, he had both his parents in the same house, and damn if the didn't look happy.

"Alright gang, dig in!" Greg shouts to the room. The kids needed no further encouragement, and the sound of paper being ripped, and excited shouts soon fill the room. Lisa holds her breath as Braeden unwraps his first gift from her, which turns out to be Nintendo Wii. She was not expecting the shout of glee that came from the man sitting next to her. She turns to look at Greg and is unable to control the burst of laughter that escape her; the hungry look on his face is almost as good as the shouts from her son.

"Did you want one too Dr. House?" She whispers into his ear. House turns his full attention to her, and Lisa feels herself tumble into the brilliance of his blue gaze. Within just a few moments of staring, her body begins to respond to the silent message he is conveying. Thoughts of how they had spent the early part of the morning coming rushing back to her in a flood of memories, and her face turns pink, her nipples harden and a warm wetness spread between her thighs.

"No ma'am, I just got what I wanted for Christmas," he says with a salacious grin.

Having been so enthralled in the last few minutes of non verbal communication with House, Lisa had missed Braeden opening up his new IPOD, several sets of clothing, more gift cards than any one kid could spend, a new Aprilla motocross bike (that had been conveniently hidden from Lisa) and matching gear. At seeing the new stuff for a new bike, Braeden jumps up and begins to make a running circuit around the room. House laughs at his son, but jumps when Cuddy pinches his arm.

"Do you think that is a wise gift?" She asks with a little of anger in her voice.

"Relax Lisa, he's been riding for years," Greg replies hoping to soothe her before Braeden notices that she is less the pleased with his new toy. "He knows to be careful and he never rides unsupervised."

"It's just that..." she starts to say when he interrupts her.

"Lisa we can't take his life away from him just because he's sick," he says taking hold of her hand. "I'd like to wrap him in a bubble and keep him safe too, but that is not who he is." She shakes her head, knowing that he is right. It still scares her, but she guess that is a part of what being a parent entails.

"My parents just gave us a 7 night Disney cruise," House says handing her an envelope. She takes it from him and reads the details and gasp.

"Greg they've paid for everything," she replies breathlessly.

"Yeah well your parents don't wish to be outdone," he laughs handing her another envelope. Looking inside Lisa sees that her parents are sending them to Disney World right after the cruise. The two older couples must have gotten together and come up with the two trips. She was sure that they had gotten some input from one very precocious 12 year old.

"Looks like we're going on vacation," she says still a little in shock. In the meantime Braeden had opened up several more gifts and it didn't look like the pile in front of him was dimensioning. She was so focused on him that she hadn't noticed the small pile of gifts that had begun to gather in her lap.

"Hey are you going to open any of these," Greg asks her snapping her attention back to him and the gifts that he had put in her lap.

"Not until you open this one," she says with a small secretive smile. She hands him a gold wrapped package that he immediately shakes. Grinning wildly he rips the paper from around a box and a look of pure reverence appears on his face. For a few moments he just holds the box in his hand and then suddenly he turns to grab her in a fierce kiss. After several moments they pull apart to find the whole room staring at them in open mouthed shock.

"If I knew that getting you a phone would elicit that kind of response, I'd have bought you one years ago," Lisa says breathlessly.

"It wouldn't have worked then," he replies looking back at the Iphone nestled in his hands. All the stores he had tried when the phones first came out had been sold out, so he decided to wait a few months and try again. "I still don't know what was in that Apple store bag," he says glancing back at her.

"It could have been Braeden's new IPod," she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That bag was way to big for an IPod," he scoffs.

"Well I guess you'll have to keep opening gifts to find out," she tells him with a wink and a saucy throw of her long hair. He growls deep in his throat, a promise of things to come when they were alone.

It took quite a while for all the gifts to be opened and the paper to be disposed of. Greg finds out that the Apple store bad had been hiding a new Mac notebook for him, and he was once again moved to display his pleasure in the form of a kiss. The kids had all converged into a small group to look over each other's loot, as the adults began to separate to various sections of the house. Lisa and Connie went back to the kitchen to continue the preparations for dinner; they were joined by Lisa's sister, mother, and Greg's sister. The five women worked feverishly to get a meal for over 25 people on the table before they were besieged by hungry men.

The ducklings arrived, bringing more presents, as well as a few other select staff members from PPTH. Soon the house was overflowing with guests and the lively sounds of Braeden on his father's piano. House rarely played for other people, but Braeden was a natural showman, and he played continuously to the delight of everyone.

As the evening wore on Lisa began to feel the strain of the last few days; so she excused herself to take a small break in her suite of rooms. Greg got worried when she had not returned after being gone for almost an hour. He told Wilson he was going to check on her, and ask that he cover him while he was gone.

Greg walks down the corridor to the back of the house where Lisa's suite was located. He had liked that Braeden had used the rooms to the rear of the house, giving Lisa as much privacy as she could want and yet still be apart of the household. He goes into the sitting room to find it shrouded in darkness. Apprehension races up his spine, as if in silent warning that something is not right.

He walks through the dimly lit bedroom and still not finding her he calls out her name. When he get no response he heads into the bathroom hoping that she has simply fallen asleep in the tub; she's done it before after a stressful day at work. The sight that greets him when he limps into the bathroom freezes the blood in his veins. Lisa is curled naked on the beautiful yellow bath mat, blood on her hands, and thighs, with tears streaming openly down her face.

Greg rushes to her side and heedless of his leg comes down next to her on the floor. He gathers her into his arms whispering soothing words into her hair. He knows he needs to get her to a hospital as soon as possible, but he has a hard time convincing his body to move.

"We need to get you to a hospital," he says trying to get them both to his feet.

"I can't go back out there Greg, not like this," she says sobs racking her body.

"We'll go out the French doors from you bedroom and to the garage," he says grabbing a washcloth and getting the blood from her hands and legs. He leads her into the bedroom where he grabs a pair of sweats and a couple of sweatshirts for her. He knows that she won't be able to go and get her coat, and he needs his keys, so he calls Wilson and brings him up to speed.

Wilson knocks on the door just as House gets Lisa fully dressed. He gets her in her coat, and asks Jimmy not to alarm anyone, but to let their parents know where they are headed and that he'd call as soon as he knew something. The walk to the car seems to take forever, but Greg knows that only a few minutes pass. He gets her settled in, turning the heat on full blast hoping to easy the tremors that are racking her body.

As he is about to put the car into gear, he feels her hand clutch his arm. He turns to look at her and the devastation in her eyes tears his soul apart.

"I can't lose this baby Greg," she says to him brokenly. "I don't want to lose you a second time."

**That got a little emotional at the end. Hopefully I will have the next chapter up by Friday. Please leave me a review, they really inspire me and I love all your suggestions!**


	14. Ch 14: And The Good Times Keep Rolling

**A/N: You guys are truly awesome! We more than passed the 100 mark, and the review just kept coming! I'm sorry that I ruined Christmas, but come on, we got to have some drama, and I hate to tell you guys but it isn't ending yet. So this chapter is a day early, and I hope you guys enjoy it before the week-end. I'm off to Hershey Park with my kids!**

**So please enjoy, and please review!**

Chapter 14: And The Good Times Keep Rolling

Dr. Gregory House had known fear in his life from time to time, but the fear he felt coursing through him now was unlike any other. The possibility that Lisa was losing the baby they had created to save their son terrified him beyond words, and her fear of losing him made his blood run cold. Her whispered words before she slipped into unconsciousness made him realize that this woman might just love him, or at the very least didn't want to be without him.

His fear of losing everything that they had gained made him slam his foot down on the accelerator and his Corvette surged forward in response. He needed to get her to her beloved hospital so that they could get some answers and hopefully begin to heal from whatever was happening. His thoughts were so scattered that he barely managed to stop before running a red light straight into the middle of an intersection. Fortunately it was Christmas night and not very many people were out on the roads, and right now House wish he could count himself as one of them.

It took him only a few more minutes before he was screeching into the emergency room parking lot. He cursed his leg and cane when he realized that there was no way in hell he would be able to carry Lisa into the emergency room. The only course of action left to him was to run in and ask for help. He hated this feeling of helplessness, and it came out in his voice and body language.

"I need help in the parking lot!! He yells to an attendee behind the reception desk.

"Sir if you'll calm down..."

"Don't tell me to calm down," he snaps at the young clerk. "I'm a doctor and the person I have in my car is your boss. So do us both a favor, grab a couple more able body people and a gurney."

At first the young clerk didn't move or respond, but the possibility that Dr. Cuddy was indeed the person in his car that needed medical attention galvanized her into action. House badgered the orderlies to be careful when they lifted the still unconscious Cuddy from his car and placed her on the gurney. They rushed back into the emergency room all feeling the stress of seeing their boss in such dire circumstances; it also didn't help that they had a flustered, agitated Dr. House badgering them.

Nurses rushed in to begin an iv and taking vitals. On their heels, was the attending ER doctor for the night, Dr. Grant Kelly. He had been pulled away from another patient when a nurse barged into the room saying that Dr. Cuddy had been brought into the ER unconscious. When he saw Dr. House in the room, he took a deep breath and prepared to do battle with the diagnostician.

"Don't even think about asking me to leave," House snarls at him. Kelly decides that diplomacy is his best course of action in dealing with the recalcitrant doctor.

"I won't throw you out if you'll allow me to treat her, without second guessing my every decision," Kelly says to him, waiting for his answer before he began the exam of his boss.

House seemed to mull over what Kelly had just said, and after a few moments shook his head in the affirmative. He knew Cuddy and the baby didn't have time for his usual antics, he could play nice if he had to. Anything for her.

"Alright House what happened?" Kelly asks.

"I found her in the bathroom with blood on her hands and legs," House begins looking sick at the thought of the dark red blood against Lisa's pale creamy skin. His world tilts slightly, and he is brought back to the present with a slight touch on his arm from one of the nurses. "She's 7 maybe 8 weeks pregnant, but I'm sure you're already aware of that."

Kelly was very aware of that, as was probably the whole hospital. He wasn't one to judge people and he could really care less what was going on between his boss and her troublesome diagnostician; whatever made them happy.

"Did she lose enough blood to cause her to slip into unconsciousness?" Kelly asks checking her pupils.

"It didn't appear to be that much blood," House replies, enough for him to panic, but not enough to cause her unresponsiveness. "She has been pushing herself over the past few days." Greg thinks back to how she had worked all the way up to Christmas Eve, even knowing that they were expecting a whole houseful of guest, and the marathon meal making sessions, not too mention all the shopping for Christmas presents. She was probably exhausted and her body decided it was time for a rest.

"I'm going to need to do an internal exam," Kelly says looking at House. He doesn't want to make the situation awkward, but he needed to be thorough. House gave him a short nod, trying not to think of it as a violation of her body while she was unaware of what was being done to her.

"Someone get ultrasound down here immediately, I want to see what's going on inside," he yells to the room. A nurse scrambles to make the call, while another nurse hangs a bag of fluid. "Also get me a CBC, Type & Rh, Antibody Serum, HCG quant; and tell the lab I want these test back asap, no dicking around tonight."

House takes some small amount of comfort in Kelly's brisk and efficient manner; this man is not going to be accused of dropping the ball when it comes to treating his boss. It's also a position that Greg does not envy the other man being in. If anything goes wrong he not only has to deal with Cuddy, but him as well, and that can be daunting to even the most stalwart of souls.

Greg had once again become so lost in his thoughts that he had missed most of the internal exam, until Kelly's voice broke into his reverie. "There is a small amount of blood in the vagina, but the cervix is closed, and there seems to be no tissue being discharged."

"Ultrasound is here," a nurse says coming into the room, followed by a middle aged woman struggling to push the machine into position. Normally the patient would be taken down to radiology to perform these scans, but Kelly didn't want to parade his unconscious boss around the hallways. He knew it was inevitable that everyone would hear about this impromptu visit to the ER, he just didn't want a whole lot of people witnessing it.

After several moments of getting her equipment ready and prepping the patient, Abigail, the unlucky technician who got stuck with working the Christmas shift was ready to get started. A nurse dimmed the lights, and with a sharp glance from Dr. Kelly, she and the other nurse left the room. No sense in having everyone in the hospital know the fate of Dr. Cuddy's baby before she did.

A quick nod from him got the technician started on her scan. She didn't say anything as the grainy images began popping up on the screen; she just methodically did her job with little to no fuss. Kelly had moved to stand by House, and he noticed that the diagnostician had turned his body slightly away from the monitor so that it was only in his peripheral vision. He was holding one of Dr. Cuddy's hands, stroking his fingers along her palm in reassuring strokes. Kelly knew he was waiting for him to tell him what the ultrasound was revealing; he didn't want to discover it for himself; and until Kelly told him the truth he could believe anything he wanted.

"I'm done doctor," Abigail says glancing at the two men who were standing very still on the other side of the patient. "I'll go and review these images and send over my final report."

"Thank you Abigail," Kelly replies finally moving. "Leave the machine, we're going to take another brief look. I'll have someone bring this one back to you a little later." She nods her head and leaves the tension filled room. Greg looks at Kelly as if he wants to strangle him; the damn man still hasn't told him what he saw on the monitor.

"Are you going to give me a preliminary, or just make me live through the agonizing time it's going to take Abigail there to finalize her report?" He snarls at the man.

"I'm not going to make you wait, but I am going to make you look Dr. House," Kelly replies placing the ultrasound wand on Cuddy's abdomen. "You like to see things with your own eyes, and you're going to want undeniable proof when you have to answer her questions." He says this while look House directly in the eyes, and not allowing the older doctor to glance away. Greg heaves a huge sigh, nods his head, and settles his gaze on the images on the screen.

"Now how many babies were you guys going for?" Kelly asks as he finds what he is looking for.

"Four embryos were introduced back into her uterus, in hopes that at least one took," House says as he begins to understand what he's looking at. On the screen is an image that he clearly recognizes as a fetal sack and it wasn't empty. There was a baby inside and Greg could see the rapid beating of it's heart.

"She hasn't miscarried?" He asks in a whisper filled with both wonderment and amazement. He was getting the first look at his developing child. He needed to sit down, quickly. Kelly chuckled as he saw the shell shocked expression on House's face. He was beginning to wish he had a camera on hand.

"No she hasn't miscarried," Kelly says moving the wand over to the right of Cuddy's stomach. The image coalesced into the view of a fetus, and the heartbeat was still going strong. "She is actually measuring 8 weeks and 5 days, and it's going to get crowded in there soon."

Greg was so busy looking at the image on the screen that at first he completely missed what Kelly was saying, until Kelly managed to get what he was hoping for. House watched in astonishment as 3 fetuses came into view on the screen, all at the same time. He could make out three separate beating hearts, and his own began to pound in his chest like a jackhammer.

"Are you telling me there a three babies in there?" House asks in disbelief.

"At least 3, but I could keep looking for a fourth if you'd like," Kelly jokes with him. House glares at him, and Kelly can't help but burst into laughter. This was turning out to be a better Christmas than he had thought.

"Let me be the first offer my congratulations on your _triplets, _and to wish you a Merry Christmas," he says holding out his hand. House took it absently and shook it, his gaze still riveted to the monitor. "I'm going to admit her overnight for observation. Once she regains consciousness then we'll talk about her getting some much needed rest and seeing her OB asap. Just relax, and we'll get her settled upstairs quickly."

Greg was left alone in the dimly lit room, the woman he loved laying unaware of the fact that she had not miscarried, but was in fact pregnant with triplets. He was just hoping that the fourth one wasn't hiding in the shadows, waiting to shout, SURPRISE!

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa came awake slowly not quite sure where she was. The room was dimly lit, the bed not very comfortable, and for some reason it was freezing; as if someone had left a window open. Opening her eyes, she scanned her surroundings and realized that she was lying in a hospital bed, with Greg asleep in a chair next to her.

Memories came rushing back and hit her like a freight train. The feelings of exhaustion that swamped her during Christmas dinner; then her trip to the bathroom that revealed she was bleeding, and then the utter desolation when she knew that she was miscarrying the baby she so desperately wanted. When it seemed as if everything was finally going her way, some one came by and ripped the rug right out from under her.

She tried to chock back a sob, but it escaped from her despite her best efforts. She wasn't ready to face House, and see the reality of the situation in his blue eyes. Lisa felt like her whole world was crumbling around her and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Maybe someone was trying to tell her that kids were not a part of future. First she gave away the one child she was able to have; then she was unable to get pregnant after three attempts, and when she finally does get pregnant by a man she adores, she loses the baby.

"Before you beat yourself up Lisa, I need to tell you what's going on," Greg says struggling to sit up in the very uncomfortable chair. His heart was breaking as he watched silent tears slide down her cheeks. Unable to help himself, he climbed onto the bed with her and kissed the salty tracks away. He gathered her tenderly into his arms, stroking her hair and whispering soothing words into her ear.

"House, I failed you," Lisa sobs into his chest. Her whole body was shaking violently with the emotions she couldn't keep buried.

"First of all my name is Greg," he says forcibly into her ear. "Second of all woman, even if you did miscarry that wouldn't be the end of us; there will never be an end to us." He turned her face up to his and kissed her tenderly. Lisa wanted to let herself drown in the sweet moment of his kiss, but something he said was tugging at her brain.

"What do you mean when you said _if I miscarried_?" She asks pulling away from his kiss so that she could see his eyes.

"Honey you didn't have a miscarriage," he tells her a smile creeping onto his face. "The babies are safe, sound and hearts beating away. Kelly gave me pictures before he left for the night."

"I'm still pregnant?" She asks dumbfounded.

"Yes Lisa you're still pregnant."

"Wait, did you say babies!" She exclaims.

"I sure did," Greg laughs.

"Twins?" She asks looking hopeful.

"Not quite," he hedges.

"More than two?" Lisa squeaks. "Please tell me there are not four babies in here," she says placing her hands on her stomach.

"Dr. Kelly says that he can confirm three babies, but he can not rule out a fourth," Greg says solemnly. "We'll have to wait and see what turns up." He watched as his words slowly sunk in. First he saw her register the fact that she was still pregnant, then the realization that they were going to have 3 babies dawns on her, and her eyes widen. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"If there had been four I would have cursed you to the heavens woman," he says shifting them to a more comfortable position. He had yet to take his vicodin, and his leg was screaming at him after having been stretched out in that chair all night.

"Can't handle four babies?" Lisa asks him with a slight smirk on her face. She reaches into his pocket and withdraws his pill bottle, and hands it to him. She can feel the slight trembling in his leg, and her heart breaks from the pain she knows he's experiencing.

"I'm not sure I can handle 3 babies, much less 4," he says popping a couple of pills into his mouth. "But since there are only 3, I can hold out hope that they are all boys. Four would have meant that there was at least one girl in there."

Lisa turns to straddle him, framing his face in her hands. His stubble is rough against the palms of her hands, and she leans closer to him to rub her soft cheek against his. She drags the smell of him into her lungs and feels her heart skip a beat, before accelerating to a rapid pace. She had fallen so deeply for him years ago, but she had believed their time hand come and gone; now she was hoping like hell it wasn't too late for them.

"Lisa you gave me quite a scare," Greg says nuzzling her neck. His warm lips sent tiny shocks up and down her spine, so she turned her neck to the side to give him better access. House being one to not let an opportunity go by, nips lightly at her delicate skin, leaving a small red mark on her flesh. He grins widely when he saw the brand he's left on her; she as his and that was how it was going to stay.

"I want you to consider taking a leave of absence" he tells her. He knows he has wandered into very dangerous territory, and the possibility of a serious explosion is just around the corner. He feels her whole body stiffen as she draws back from him. Her soft blue gray eyes darken until they are like dark thunderheads ready to crash around him.

"Why would you want that?" Lisa asks feeling as if she's being backed into a corner. She believes she an handle her job, and being a full time mother, yet her Greg was asking her to give up something that was very vital to her well being.

"Lisa , your job is demanding and stressful under the best circumstances," he says in what he hopes is an even tone. "Throw in a pregnancy with triplets, a sick child, and that has events like yesterday happening frequently. You have got to rest, and you won't do that if you have to run PPTH. You'll drive yourself relentlessly, and then collapse when your body can't take anymore."

"I'm not giving up my job Greg," she snarls at him. For some reason she feels as if he is attacking her competence, and it makes her see red. She managed her first pregnancy and med school with help from nobody; she believed that with a little help from him she could do this with no problem. She should have known better.

"I'm not asking you to quit, just pull back a little," he replies trying to pull her into an embrace. She moves further away from him, scrambling to get off the bed. "Damn it, I worry about you!" He exclaims as he sees she pulling away from him.

"Let's be honest here House," she yells back at him. "Your worried about me losing the babies, and therefore the chance to save Braeden. I'm just a secondary concern, and of no more importance than getting these babies here safe and sound." Something in the back of her head was telling her she was over reacting, but she couldn't help herself. For some reason him asking her to take a leave of absence hurt her, and she wanted to hurt him just as badly.

Greg looks at her, his blue eyes devoid of all emotion. She has managed to strike at a wound that he thought was healed, or at the very least scabbed over enough that she couldn't make it bleed again. Guess he was wrong. He should realize that she never really had faith in him, that had always been their stumbling block. It didn't matter how much he loved her, or how he was willing to do anything for her; she always believed he did so with some other intention in mind.

Lisa had been the only woman who could destroy him, because she was the only woman he had ever truly loved. He had feel in love with her the moment she refused to go out with him, and every move he made was aimed at getting her. He would gladly trade in the fortune he owned just for her to get a glimpse of the emotion he felt only for her. It was only rivaled by the love he had for his son; he often wondered if he would have loved Braeden half as much if his mother had been some one else.

So instead of opening his mouth and saying something he would later regret, he stands there, his heart shattering once again, and although he's lived through her doing this to him once before, it still hurts just as bad. At least then he was young and whole, now he wasn't so lucky. Lisa glared at him daring him to say something, hoping he would so she could yell her frustration out; but all he does is stare at her, and she can't read anything in his eyes.

"So I guess your silence is all the answer I need," she quips. She still can't bring herself to back down, and let the argument fade away.

"If that's the case, then obviously you don't really know me at all," he snaps back. He grabs his cane and begins to make his way to the door. Lisa wants to call out to him to stop, but she can't, or won't; she's not sure which. He was almost to the door, when his cell phone split the silence that had invaded the room. Greg turns, sees his phone on the table and hobbles back to get it. Lisa was closer, but one look at him told her to not even think of touching it.

"House," he barks into the phone. Lisa felt sorry for whoever was on the other end; he hadn't been willing to fight with her, but she could tell by his tone that the person on the phone was not so lucky.

"Greg," Wilson's voice explodes into House's ear, and immediately he knows something is wrong. "Braeden is being rushed to PPTH via ambulance right now. He collapsed after complaining that his stomach hurt."

House felt like his own stomach just clawed it's way up into his throat. He swayed slightly on his feet, and before he could blink, Lisa was standing next to him, a worried expression etched on her face. He wasn't ready to forgive her, but right now he didn't have the willpower to fight her.

"I think he's bleeding internally," Wilson says hurriedly. "And Greg, I think it's bad."

**Alright guys don't kill me, but I had to!! Please let me know what you guys think. And excuse any errors, I was rushing to get my five year old out of the house before he changes his mind about going anywhere. Hit that review button and let me have it.**


	15. Chapter 15: Losing Ground

**A/N: I have to say that you guys are AWESOME!! Your reviews kept coming and I enjoyed every single one. Please don't stop now. This chapter is a little long, and mostly filler, but we need to move the story along. I maybe able to update a little more frequently over the next couple of weeks as I am off work with nothing much to do. SO enjoy and please let me know what your thinking!**

Chapter 15: On A Wing And A Prayer

When Braeden House was rushed into the emergency room at PPTH, almost all activity stopped. Every staff member there knew who he was and that his life was hanging in the balance. At first no one moved to the gurney that came barreling through the doors, until a young surgical resident rushed forward. The last thing he wanted to tell his boss was that her son had died because everyone was afraid to treat him.

"Give it to me," he says to the paramedics. They rattle off all his vital information as they race down the hall to trauma room 4. By this time a team of nurses and doctors flow into the room to begin the various task of finding out what was wrong with their young patient.

"Let's get x-ray in here, and alert cat scan that we will be on our way," Dr. Kelly calls out striding into the room. He was back on duty and once again he had been thrown into the crisis that was surrounding Dr. House, at this rate they'd be best friends by New Years. "Let's get those iv's started, and some one get him typed and matched."

"His abdomen is rigid, and there is decreased bowel sounds," the young resident announces to him.

"Let's do a belly tap, and let's be quick about it," Kelly barks to the room. He's pretty sure the tap isn't necessary, but it's procedure and damn if he wasn't doing this one by the book. He'd say he was doing it to make sure the Cr. Cuddy's son didn't die, but if truth be told it was House he was trying to protect. God only knew why.

"BP is 80 over 55, and falling," a nurse calls out. "Pulse is fast and thready."

"Let's intubate him now, and get him ready for transport to CT," Kelly says to the room.

"X-Ray is here," a voice calls from the door. Everyone moves quickly out of the technicians way, and he was able to quickly get the films done as the team began to hurtle down the hall with their patient.

Kelly was dreading the moment that both House and Cuddy showed up in his ER, and he was hoping that by the time they did show up, he could tell them exactly what was wrong with their son. So far they had been lucky and young Braeden had not crashed on them, but he knew it was only a matter of time. The blood they were giving him was on a temporary solution, and if they didn't not find where he was bleeding from, and stop it soon; it wouldn't matter how much blood they gave him.

When the team came rushing into ct, it was to find everything ready, Dr. Wilson and Cameron in the control room, Chase and Foreman waiting for them by the machine. Jimmy began the scan immediately after he received the all clear from Chase, who slipped into the control booth with him and Cameron, Foreman raced off to the lab to get the results of the blood work. Internal bleeding was a serious complication of aplastic anemia, and Jimmy had hoped they'd be able to avoid it. Life wasn't always so good or fair.

It only took a few moments for them to see that Braeden was bleeding into his abdominal cavity, and the source of the bleed looked to be his spleen. The images came pouring out to them, and Jimmy jumped up and grabbed the phone to alert the surgical attendee that they were on their way up to the OR. He was only mildly concerned with where House and Cuddy were, his primary concern was getting Braeden to the OR.

Dr. Kelly on the other hand was not so lucky; he had his hands full trying to reason with one pissed off diagnostician. House had strode into the ER demanding to know where his son was and badgering everyone in his way. Kelly eventually intervened telling him that Braeden was in CT, and as soon as they discovered the source of the bleeding, they were headed to OR.

House was only mildly pacified, he wanted to see his son, but Kelly managed to convince him to let them finish the scan and then he could go with him upstairs. Fortunately it was only a couple of more minutes before the doors to CT burst open, and the gurney carrying Braeden came rolling through, flanked by Wilson, Cameron, and a couple of nurses.

Greg rushed to Braeden's side as the group approached the elevator. He took in his son's pale complexion, sunken eyes, and felt his throat tighten. Braeden was in real trouble and he hadn't been there for him. He was devastated at the feelings of letting his child down, and grabbed the young boy's cold hand in his own. He looked at Jimmy for details of his son's condition.

"He's bleeding into his abdomen, if we don't get in there quickly he'll crash," Jimmy says to him bluntly. He knows now is not the time to try and shield his friend from what was happening to his son.

House feels the floor beneath him shift and he stumbles slightly. This was the serious complication of aplastic anemia they had all hoped to dodge; but right now they were staring down the barrel of a loaded gun, and they were hoping for the best. It was beyond frightening, cause Greg knew the odds were not necessarily in their favor.

"Where's Cuddy?" Jimmy asks surprised that House had arrived in the ER alone. He knew that even though hours earlier Lisa was dealing with her own medical crisis, she'd never miss being by her son's side when he was in this kind of condition.

"She went straight up to the OR floor to make sure they were ready for him," he replies. His attention was still focused solely on his son, and he didn't want to take the time with idle chit chat. The elevator ride to the OR seemed to take forever, and by the time the doors finally opened House was a nervous wreck, it was definitely a sight to see.

"Braeden, I'm sorry that I wasn't there when you needed me," he whispers into his son's ear. The gurney had stopped, and Wilson had went to let the staff know they were there. "I promised you that I would always be there for you, never put anything before you; I failed you and I promise to never do it again. I just need you to hang on buddy and I'll make everything right again. It will go back to being just the two of us against the world, we never needed anyone else before."

"House, they need to take him back now," Cuddy's voice cut through his whispered words. She had heard every word he'd said and try as she might they still hurt her. She knew that Braeden should come first, but for some reason it didn't help to hear that he didn't really want or need her around. She knew that those were not his exact words, but she couldn't convince her heart that those were they words he was trying to say.

Greg stood back as the staff rushed Braeden into an operating room. He noticed that Cuddy looked wistfully after their son, but she didn't try to stop them so she could say anything to him. She was looking quite pale herself, and was wavering on a little on her feet. He wanted to tell her to go rest and he would keep her updated, yet he couldn't get the words to come out.

"I'm going to the observation room," she says turning to go up the small set of steps that would lead to the little booth where they could watch the whole surgery. "Are you coming?"

"No, I can't watch," he replies shaking his head. "If something went wrong, I wouldn't be able to stand by and do nothing."

"He's in good hands Greg."

"He's not in my hands," he retorts. "I know you trust your staff, but that is only a small consolation when it's my son on that table." With that House strode away from her, down the hall and out of sight. Lisa watched him go, her heart breaking into a thousand tiny fragments, tears pooled in her storm colored eyes, and a lump formed in her throat making it hard to breathe. As she walked towards the stairs that led up to the observation room, her only thought was that she at least had a small piece of him she was never planning on letting go.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Wilson found House several hours later slumped in an uncomfortable chair in one of the many waiting areas in the hospital. He was so far away from the surgical suites that it had taken Wilson an extra half hour after Braeden's surgery to locate his friend. Jimmy was surprised to have found him in the labor and delivery waiting room reserved for expectant parents.

"He's out of surgery," Wilson says falling into the chair next to Greg's. Jimmy had stayed in the OR with Braeden and it had been an experience he would not soon forget, or willingly go through again.

"There were a few complications, but he came through the surgery beautifully and is currently in recovery," Wilson tells him, anticipating the questions Greg is likely to ask. "He'll be moved to ICU in a couple of hours; he's lost a lot of blood and the spleen had to go."

"Are we going to make it to the end?" House asks him wearily.

"Kicking and screaming if we have to," he reassures his best friend. "Come on, I know you want to be there when he wakes up." Wilson helps him to his feet, and it is a testament to how bad Greg must feel in that he accepts Jimmy's help with no snide remarks or scathing looks. The two friends walk quietly and stoically back to the recovery area where nurses are moving around tending to patients.

Greg follows Jimmy to the rear of the large room where Braeden is located, a quiet corner away from most of the bustle of a surgical recovery area. A nurse checking the young boy's vitals looks up in time to see House approaching and quickly gets out of his way. It was no secret who her young charge is, but she has no wish to deal with the young man's surly father. She watches in awe as the intractable Dr. House gently brushes the dark hair from his son's pale face, and lightly squeezes his hand. He never once glances at the monitors or tries to read the boy's chart and the nurse has to change her opinion of Dr. Gregory House. He was a brilliant doctor, an ass of magnanimous proportions, an insensitive bastard, but under all that he was a dedicated doctor.

"Has he tried to wake up at all?" He asks her as she moves around checking the machines and making notes in the chart.

"No, not yet," she replies glancing at House. "He'll begin to stir shortly I'm sure."

"Has Dr. Cuudy been in here to see him," Greg asks looking around the room. He was slightly surprised that she had not been by Braeden's side when he and Jimmy had walked in. He figured maybe she had run to the restroom or was doing some other mundane task, and was returning shortly.

"Dr Cuddy accompanied him in from the OR," the nurse answers looking nervously at House. "She stayed with him for a few moments, then said she had to leave, but that she'd like regular updates every hour. She didn't look good when she left," the nurse added thinking that someone might what to go and check on the Dean of Medicine.

"I'm sure she's fine," House says absently. The nurse looks at him sharply not missing the slight under current to his tone. She knew that Dr. Cuddy was far from fine, and she had been close to asking one of the doctors milling about to see to her boss. But Dr. Cuddy had left before she had worked up the courage to approach either her or one of the doctors.

"Well I'm glad you think so," the nurse snaps. She tries to regain her composure and temper, knowing that right now Dr. House's attention is so focused on his son that he might not be aware of anything else going on around him. "I just know that the woman who left her a short while ago was on the verge of collapse."

"She's probably fine, just needs some rest," House says to the nurse. He feels a small twinge of guilt that he hadn't given much thought to Lisa in the last few hours, but all his attention was focused on Braeden. Lisa was a grown woman and she made it perfectly clear that as such she could take care of her self, far be it from him to intervene with her special brand of self administration.

Wilson came striding over accompanied by Dr. Kelly and a doctor that House assumed had been the attending surgeon. Dr. Chandler knew of House more by reputation that anything else, never having had the pleasure or horror of dealing with the man directly. Right now he could care less about the man's reputation as a doctor, he was concerned with the man as a father.

"Dr. House," he says extending his hand which he was surprised House didn't hesitate to take. "Braeden's surgery went well, and we were able to stop his bleeding; what concerns me though is how rapidly this came on, and getting something in place so that the next time we won't be facing such a critical situation."

"I'm open to any and all suggestions," Houses says surprising all the three men. A cooperative Dr. House was unheard of, and no one was quite sure what to make of it, especially Jimmy who knew House better than anybody, except maybe Lisa. He made a note to keep a very close eye on his friend, he was afraid that House was close to breaking; that would help explain why he was so agreeable.

"I'll look into what is out there, and get together with you," Dr. Chandler says as he begins to move away to his next patient. Kelly nodded to House and the two shared a look born out of the non stop roller coaster ride that had become Greg's life. Kelly went to move off, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him; he looked over to see Greg still watching him.

"Thank you is nowhere near enough," House says. "I am in your debt and should you ever need anything, I'll never hesitate to see that you get it." To say that Kelly was shocked was an understatement, speechless didn't come close either and flabbergasted feel short. The ER doctor acknowledged House with a firm shake of the hand and the knowledge that a fast friendship had been formed. God help him now, he had Dr. Gregory House as a _friend_.

"Dad..." a shaky voice draws Greg's attention to the head of the bed where he sees Braeden struggling to open his eyes.

"Don't try to talk Braeden," Greg says his voice catching. He grabs hold of his son's hand to reassure him that he was there, and not going anywhere. As he watched Braeden's eyes fluttered open and then closed again.

"Mom?" Braeden questions as his blue eyes flutter open again, and he weakly looks around.

"She was here earlier," Greg says trying to calm his son. "Just try to rest."

"But...but where...is she now," he says fighting to stay awake. The nurse comes over to check his vitals, she replaces his almost empty bag of fluid with another and gives him something for pain.

"Is she...is she...alright?" Braden asks latching onto his dad's hand. Greg realizes that his son is more concerned about his mother than the fact that he had to have emergency surgery. He definitely got his compassion from his mother.

"She's fine son," House says trying to placate him. "You need to rest, I'm sure your mother will be back a little later."

"But who's...who's taking care...of her?" He asks struggling to keep his eyes open. The pain medication was doing it's job, but he was putting up an enormous fight to stay awake.

"Don't worry Braeden, she's fine and so are the babies," Greg says. He watches as his son seems reassured by his answers and allows himself to drift off.

"Dr. House they are going to move him to ICU now," the nurse says coming over and beginning to prep Braeden for transport. "Also, I tried to call Dr. Cuddy to let her know, but I didn't receive and answer. Would you please let her know?"

"Yes, I'll be sure to tell her where he is," he says as the orderlies begin to move Braeden out of the recovery area. He follows along behind them not ready to let his son out of his sight.

"I'm going to go and find your parents," Jimmy tells him as they all exit out into the hall. "I think Lisa's parents are with them, and I know the rest of the family is waiting for an update. Did you tell Braeden that the _babies_ were fine?"

"Yeah," House says a grin momentarily splitting his face. "Kelly was able to confirm that Lisa is carrying triplets."

"The I guess congratulations are in order," Wilson says clapping House on the back. He was happy that there was some good news for him to impart to the family. "I'll send them up to the waiting area for the ICU as soon as I find them.

"Thanks Jimmy," House says as the elevator doors begin to close. "And see if you can find Lisa, she'll want to know what is going on." Jimmy shakes his head and jogs off to complete his search of the hospital.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa was sitting behind her desk, her computer on, email open. She wasn't currently reading or doing anything for that matter, except sitting here deep in thought. She had not officially been released from the hospital, but she considered that a minor oversight that she could correct with a phone call.

She was trying to decide what her next step should be. She knew that she couldn't stay in a house with Greg given the current state of their relationship. She'd need to move back to her house, but she knew it would not be big enough to accommodate the babies once they got here. That was something she could think about at little later.

Her cell phone began to ring at the same time that the phone on her desk began to shrill loudly. Lisa grabbed the desk phone and was soon wrapped up in a problem with maintenance concerning the lack of heat to some areas of the hospital. Before she knew it the morning had passed, and she had fielded several more phone calls.

She had checked her closet and found that she had everything she needed to change into a suit and attend her first scheduled meeting of the day. Checking her day planner she saw that she had a luncheon at 2:00 with a couple of potential donors. Lisa grabbed a quick shower, dressed and did her make up. Checking her watch she realized that she had a couple of minutes to grab something to eat, and maybe check on Braeden before her meeting. She decided to forgo the food and spend the extra couple of minutes with her son, she just hoped to avoid her son's father.

Lisa figured that Braeden would have been moved by now and headed up to ICU. She had grabbed the files and notes she would need for her meeting and she was idly glancing through them on the elevator. Several people wanted to stop her and talk, but she was able to quickly deflect everyone as she hurried on past.

As she got closer to ICU she had to stop to catch her breath, and lean against the wall to stop the hallway from spinning. She convinced herself that she was probably a little light headed as she had not had anything to eat.

"Dr. Cuddy are you alright," a nurse coming out of ICU asks her.

"Yes Lindsey, I'm fine," she reassures the nurse. "I think being regnant is starting to catch up with me," she says with a tremulous smile. "Do you know if Dr. House is with his son?"

"He went to grab a cup of coffee from the cafeteria, said he be back in a couple of minutes," the nurse replies.

"Thank you," Lisa says grateful that she would have a few minutes with Braden sans House. She wasn't ready to deal with him, and although she has though a lot about what he had to say, she's not ready to let him know that she sees his point of view. Maybe they couldn't be together but they could get along so that their children could have both parents in their lives..

The staff in the ICU watches surreptitiously as their boss makes her way to her son's side. Lisa feels the sting of tears at seeing her son looking so small and pale, surrounded by machines and wires everywhere. She feels the room tilt dangerously and she has to grab hold of the railing on the bed to keep from falling to the floor. The thought that maybe she should go home and reschedule her meetings ran through her mind, only to be quickly discarded.

She leaned over and placed a kiss on her son's forehead, brushing his dark curls aside. She smiled hoping that the children she carried would look like there brother. He was a handsome boy, even though his resemblance to his father was uncanny, nit to say that Greg wasn't handsome, Lord knew he was, but Braeden was untethered by the worries that consumed his father.

"I'm so sorry that your dad and I weren't there when you got sick little man," she whispers into his ear. "We both love you so much and had we known we would have been at your side." Her voice catches as a small sob escapes her and she closes her eyes as tears run freely down her cheeks.

"It's not...not like you guy...were off having a little...little fun," his voice says back into her ear. Lisa pulls back and sees his vivid blue eyes looking at her. She smiles at him, kisses his cheek and shakes her head.

"That's no excuse," she says vehemently.

"To me it is," he whispers. "Are you...are you ok?"

"Baby I'm fine," she tries to reassure him. She hears the door to the ICU open and sees Greg and Jimmy heading her way. At first they don't see her, absorbed in a conversation they are having, but she knows it's just a matter of time. She realizes that she is too emotional to deal with House, so she decides to leave and head to her meeting.

"I'll be back to see you a little later," she says placing a kiss on his cheek as his eyes once again flutter close.

She stands up too quickly and the room does it's little tilt again. A huge wave of nausea hits her at the same time, and Lisa wonders if the fates are conspiring against her. She once again grabs hold of the bed rail and tries to take a few deep breaths to restore he equilibrium. What she doesn't notice is that Greg has seen her and as perceptive as he is, he knows something is wrong.

He hands his cup of coffee to Jimmy and quickly limps to her side. He watches as the color drains from her face and her body begins to crumble, heading or a graceless heap on the floor. Greg manages to catch her before she hits the tile and hauls her up against his chest. Lisa struggles briefly, not wanting to be seen as weak in this particular man's eyes.

"I don't need you," she manages to choke out as blackness claws at the edge of her vision threatening to drag her under.

"Damn it you need somebody," Greg growls in her ear, fear clawing at his insides. He knows that she needs to rest and probably hasn't eaten, and as soon as he gets her both of those things he's going to turn her over his knee and spank her.

"It doesn't have to be you Greg," she says as unconsciousness finally pulls her under.

"Well it sure as hell isn't going to be some other man," he vows in her ear. "I'll kill any other guy who even thinks about it, and that includes you Jimmy," House says as Jimmy finally gets there to lift Lisa into his arms. Greg doesn't allow himself to feel jealous that his friend can easily carry the woman that he loves, right now it's not important. Getting her to see things his way, that's all that matters now, cause Greg realizes that he wants the whole package, and he's not going to let Lisa stand in their way.

**Come on guys, hit the review button. I need all the feedback I can get. I am not above begging here!!**


	16. Chapter 16: From The Mouth Of Babes

**A/N: Once again you guys rock! I begged for reviews and you guys stepped up and gave me more reviews for the last chapter than I have gotten for either of my fanfics. So thank you all very much. This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but I couldn't help wanting to give you guys more, after all the reviews you guys gave me. Things take an interesting turn here, one I was not expecting. I am trying to do research to keep this believable, but I may be forced to ask people to suspend their belief and just ride along with me on this. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter and PLEASE let me know what you think. I begging again.**

Chapter 16: From The Mouth Of Babes

Lisa opened her eyes only to find herself in a darkened room. Looking around she realized that she was back in the hospital room she had awoken in earlier that day, at least she thought it was still the same day. She went to brush her hair out of her face and found that she had an iv in her hand and that fluid was dripping into it. That would account for the reason that she had to pee like a race horse. Well she would take care of that first and then call a nurse in to find out exactly what was going on.

"Don't even think about getting out of that bed," a deep voice rumbles from a corner shrouded in shadows. Lisa stops in the process of swinging her legs over the side of the bed to peer into the corner. She didn't need to see who was sitting there, she didn't even need to have heard his voice to know that it was Greg. Her whole body went on alert any time he was close by.

"I have got to go to the bathroom House," she says exasperated that he was there guarding her like a watchdog. She was nervous having him around when she felt vulnerable, so she tried to hide behind her bravado.

"If you get out of that bed without my help, I'll have you strapped down and drop in a catheter for good measure," he replies pushing himself up out of the chair.

"You wouldn't dare," she gasps as he approaches her. She can see that he was definitely in a bad mood, and it didn't help that he looked like he hadn't slept in hours, or eaten, shaved or had a shower. Thinking back she realized that he probably hadn't had any of those things since he had found her on the bathroom floor last night.

"Plus my staff wouldn't let you," she tells him.

"Right now darling your staff is more terrified of me that they are of you," he says coming to stand by her bed. He lowered the railing and held out his hand. Lisa looked at him not sure she was ready to give in, but her bladder was screaming at her to move it or she was going to have an accident right now. She took his hand as he gently helped her out of the bed and over to the bathroom. He turned the light on for her and closed the door behind her.

Lisa was in an emotional turmoil. The last time she remembered seeing House she knew that he was mad with her, didn't want her around, but now he seemed to be dedicated to staying right by her side. She wasn't sure how to approach this new situation, and it didn't help that she felt like shit on top of it.

"Come on Lisa," Greg say knocking lightly on the door. She opens it to find him standing there waiting to help her back into bed.

"Greg, I'm not tired," she replies as he steers her into the bed and covering her with the blankets. He pulls the bedside table over and uncovers a tray of food.

"You're dehydrated, suffering from exhaustion and 2 months pregnant with triplets," he says turning on the light over the bed. "You need to eat and you are going to do me the favor of staying in this bed until tomorrow morning. If you do that, then I am willing to be reasonable and let you out of here."

"You can't be serious?" She asks him in shock.

"Lisa you collapsed in my arms at our son's bedside, I'm more than serious," he replies sternly. "And before you ask, Braeden is doing well. He's resting comfortably and worried sick about you. If he stays stable through the night, they'll move him to a private room and I promised him you'd be able to see him before you went home for some much needed rest. Don't make me break that promise."

He knew he was being unfair using Braeden to get her to cooperate, but at this point he was done fighting fairly. He had a goal in mind and any one who knew him would know that once he set his sights on something, there was nothing between heaven and hell that would stand in his way. And he wasn't above using charm to get what he wanted; it wasn't something people expected of him so it usually caught them off guard.

"Please Lisa," he implores her sitting on the edge of her bed. "Eat a little something and get a full nights sleep. The hospital isn't going anywhere, and I promise that if anything major crops up, I'll wake you up."

"You're staying?" She asks surprised. He probably meant that he would be with Braeden so he wouldn't be far away if he had to come wake her up.

"The whole night Lisa," he says with a small smile. "It's you, me and that really uncomfortable chair."

"But what about Braeden?" She asks dumbly. Lisa didn't think they should leave him alone after having had major surgery. What she didn't know was that her son had vehemently argued with his father about some one staying with Lisa, that Greg gave in just so his son would calm down and rest.

"Your mom is with him right now," he tells her. "Then my dad will take over in a couple of hours. Our respective parents and siblings are going to rotate every couple of hours so he is not alone at any point. I am going to run and check on him, and be back here in a few minutes."

"Greg you can stay with him," Lisa says to him as he stands up. "I'll be alright and I promise to eat, and get some sleep."

"No can do sweetheart," he says to her with a smirk. "You're stuck with me until tomorrow morning. Our son would have my hide if he found out that I wasn't here with you all night."

With that he limps out the door leaving Lisa alone in the semi darkened room. She feels her chest constrict a little painfully as she realizes that he's not there because he wants to be, but because their son had probably guilted him into it. She had been willing to accept second in Greg's life, but it didn't even seem as if she could hold that distinction. At least she was high up in her son's heart; she could just imagine him going toe to toe with his dad. It brought a smile to her lips as she picked carelessly at the food tray. She ate a little something, because she didn't doubt that Greg would come back soon, and if she hadn't eaten he would probably feed her himself.

She had dozed off and was slightly startled when the door opened almost a hour later to see Greg come limping back in. She had given up on him coming back at all, and had allowed herself to drift off to sleep; after having herself a few minutes of self pity. So she managed to convince herself that it was because of all of the stress of the past 36 hours that had her looking to pick a fight with him.

"So the only reason you're staying is because our son doesn't want me to be alone," she snaps at him, her eyes cold and distant. Greg knew she was spoiling for a fight and he wasn't in the mood to indulge her. Maybe later after she had some sleep, and he didn't have to worry about her collapsing in his arm.

"No you silly woman," he says coming to sit back on the edge of her bed. Lisa scooted over to give him a little more room, although she was sure he thought she was just trying to get away from him. "I'm here because I want to be. If he just didn't want you to be alone, I could have sent your mother or sister down here."

She hadn't thought of that, and she looked at him feeling a little lost and a whole lot confused. It must have shown in her eyes, because he sighed heavily and pulled her into his arms. That small simple gesture was her undoing, and Lisa was unable to hold back the tears anymore. She felt him swing his body fully onto the bed and haul her up against his side. He carefully arranged them both so that his large body was spooning her smaller one, his arms wrapped around her waist and her head tucked under his chin.

"You have had an extremely rough couple of days," he whispers into her ears. "Go ahead and let it all baby. I've got you and I am not going anywhere." He brushed the hair away from her face and continued to whisper soft words of comfort until he felt her relax against him. After several minutes of quiet, Greg felt her breathing change and knew that she had drifted off to sleep. He knew he should get up and go get in the chair, but he was loathe to let her go. So he made the decision to indulge himself and hold her through the night, God knows it might be the last time she'd let him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa woke up alone and confused. She had been sure that she had fallen asleep with Greg holding her, but a quick sweep around the room shows no sign of him. She tried very hard not to let it bother her that he had left at some point, and didn't tell her where he was going. She shook her head and told herself to get use to it, she didn't have time for silly dreams.

She was about to get up and go to the bathroom when the door to her room slid open, admitting a nurse.

"Good morning Dr. Cuddy," she says cautiously. Lisa realized that it was disconcerting for her staff to have to treat her, and she sought to put the nurse at ease with a sincere smile. "I'm here to get that iv out, and I have brought you some toiletries so that you can take a shower."

"Do you know where my clothes are?" Lisa asks looking around the room for any of her personal items.

"Dr. House took all your stuff with him when you were first admitted," the nurse tells her with a small grin.

"I'm going to kill him when I see him again," she snarls as the nurse begins to remove the needle.

"That would be my cue to go back through the door before you see me," she heard him rumble from the open doorway. Lisa turned her head quickly and saw him standing there holding an overnight bag she hoped contained some clothing. Behind him was a nurse carrying two containers of coffee and a large brown bag. House indicated that she could sit everything on the table, and then both nurses left the room.

"I brought you coffee and tea, wasn't sure which one you wanted," he says putting the overnight bag on a chair. "I also thought you might want something besides hospital food to eat."

"Hey there is nothing wrong with the food here at PPTH," Lisa says indignantly.

"Sure there isn't," House replies with a smirk. "But if you'd rather eat that stuff," he says indicating the tray sitting on the table, "then you won't mind if I have these." With that he pulled out a couple of scones, blueberry and strawberry, her favorites. He even had clotted cream. Lisa looked at him and quickly grabbed one of the scone out of his hands. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him.

"There are also some a couple of ham, egg and cheese croissants in there," he tells her shaking the bag. "I brought you some clean clothes to change into. You've already been discharged and you have an appointment with Dr. Steiner tomorrow. If you don't want her to treat you through this pregnancy we can find some one else, I will leave that up to you."

She watched him move around the room to settle into the chair by the bed. He was wolfing down a croissant and she realized that these had not come from a store. She raised a silent eyebrow in query at him as she began to munch on the scone.

"I had to go home to get you some clean clothes," he replies with a negligent shrug of his shoulders. "I whipped up a few things for you to eat while I was there. And since you have been such a good girl, after your shower I'll let you head up to your office for a little bit. Answer some emails and let your staff know that you need to take a few days off."

She arched her eyebrow at him and shook her head. Lisa had already decided not to fight him on this. She was still tired and knew that she need some rest, not too mention she was worried about Braeden and she needed to see an OBGYN as soon as possible. But she couldn't just give in without a fight, or Gregory House would be completely unbearable.

"Greg I can't just up and take days off unplanned," she says getting up and rummaging through the bag of clothes he had brought her. She had been expecting jeans and a t-shirt, but she was pleasantly surprised to see that he had packed a nice pant suit, and clean under garments, he even grabbed her make up case. There were times when he never ceased to amaze her.

"Lisa I don't want to argue with you over this, but I am prepared to do so," he says pushing himself up from the chair. "I want you to get some rest and see the doctor to get some parameters with which to work with. I'd love for you to say to hell with the hospital and stay home, but I know that is unlikely to happen, but you have to be willing to compromise a little. You're not just pregnant, but there are 3 babies in there and..."

He stopped talking when she pressed her fingers against his lips. The soft feel of her cool fingers against his mouth sent a jolt of fire straight to his groin, and he let a small moan escape from his throat. Lisa smiled at the effect she was having on him, and decided to push him a little more. She removed her fingers and replaced them with her lips against his. Greg sighed heavily allowing her to lick her way into his mouth. Of there own volition his arms moved to the small of her back and drew her up against his chest. The kiss lasted for several minutes before Lisa pulled away, and grabbed her clothing.

"You win Greg," she says her voice a little shaky. "I'll have Wilson cover for me for the next week. Now go and see to Braeden and I'll meet you in his room in a hour."

"Don't make me come look for you woman," he says as he limps out of the room grabbing the blueberry scone on his way. Lisa allowed herself a small smile, she was done waiting as well.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"How's my mother?" Braeden asks Greg as soon as he steps into his son's room. House looks around and sees his sister and Lisa's sister sitting in a couple of recliners trying hard not to laugh at him.

"Good morning to you to son," he says with a smirk. "YOUR mother is doing fine, and just for your information twerp, she maybe your mother, but she's my woman."

"About damn time," Braeden says under his breath. He glances at his aunts to find them both hiding behind magazines and snorting with laughter.

"You two can come out from hiding," Greg snaps at them.

"We're going to step out and get some coffee," his sister Gwen says to him. "Behave yourself while we're gone."

"I can't make any promises," House says.

"I was talking to Braeden," Gwen says as they leave the room. Greg shrugs his shoulders and lowers himself into a chair. He sees that his son still have a morphine drip and he knows it's only a matter of time before Braeden is once again asleep.

"So is she really alright?"

"Yes little man, I promise you she's fine," he says. "All she needs is a little bit of rest, and to slow down from the hectic pace she likes to call her life."

"So when are you going to ask her to marry you?" Braeden asks with an innocent look on his face. Greg spews coffee all over the floor upon hearing his son's question. He looks over into the guileful blue eyes of his child. If he didn't know better he'd swear he was being set up.

"As soon as I can get down on one knee and ask her properly," he retorts. So there, take that munchkin, he thought triumphantly.

"That can be within the year then," Braeden says nodding his head. Greg looks at him in astonishment and realizes that he's serious.

"In case you forgot, crippled here," House says indicating his leg. He wasn't planning on telling his scheming offspring that he had plans to ask Lisa to marry him, just as soon as he was sure she wouldn't trample all over him and his heart.

"You know dad, I love you, but sometimes you're not the brightest fish in the sea," Braeden says looking at him as if he was a little dim witted.

"What are you babbling about?" House asks growing exasperated.

"Dad pluripotent adult stem cells can be grown into anything, including muscle groups," he explains as if he is talking to a small child. "Part of the problem with using pluripotent stem cells is that they exist in small quantities in adults, but they are abundant in cord blood. There are 3 babies in the woman I know adores you, that each have their own placenta and umbilical cord, we only need one for my bone marrow transplant. What were you guys going to do with the cells from the other two?"

Greg stood up and felt the room tilt crazily. His mind raced along the avenue of knowledge that his son had just given him, and his breath stopped in his chest. Was it possible? Could the cells from the cord and placenta be used to repair the damage to the muscle group in his leg? Oh God he needed to call Mike in Chicago.

**A/N: Alright everyone there it is. I know that I can do whatever I want, but I want it to also be realistic (at least some what). So please let me know if you enjoyed this chapter, and if I have finally lost my mind!**


	17. Chapter 17: Dreams, Hopes And Desires

**A/N: Well hello all! I just love being off from work, let's me write whenever I want to. This chapter is a bit on the long side, I just couldn't get it to end. So I hope you guys will enjoy it. There is a lot in here, and our 2 main characters are trying to be difficult, AGAIN. Once again you guys really came through with the reviews and I just love all of you. Please continue to let me know what you think, and what you would like to see happen. If things go well I should be able to get one more chapter out before I have to return to work.**

Chapter 17: Hope, Dreams And Desires

People moved out of the way of the tall striding diagnostician as he hurried through the halls of the hospital, a determined look on his face. House was so preoccupied with the thoughts racing through his mind that he didn't even notice his team sitting around the table in the room next to his office.

He turned his computer on, reached for his Rolodex and made the call to Chicago. He was thrumming with excitement as well as trepidation. He hadn't wanted to get his hopes up, but it was already far too late for that. He was tantalized by the idea that he might be able to undo the damage that was done to his leg.

"CID Research Facility, this is Vincent, how may I direct your call?"

"This is Dr. Gregory House for Dr. Mike Crenshaw," he replies hoping that the young male receptionist was not in a chatty mood.

"Dr. House it is nice to hear your voice again," Vincent says with a dreamy note in his voice. House wants to groan, but just manages to hold back.

"Vincent is Dr. Crenshaw in, it is imperative that I speak to him at once," Greg says hoping the urgency in his voice is enough to compel the young man to put his call through quickly.

"Let me transfer you to his office," Vincent replies. After a few moments of light music playing, Greg hears the phone ring and the deep voice of his friend.

"Greg what's the problem?" Mike asks concern lacing his voice. "Is everything with Lisa alright?"

"Lisa is fine and so are the babies," House tells him. "And yes I said babies; there are 3 in there Mike." He heard Mike laugh and knew that the other doctor was calculating the odds that at least one of the babies was a girl, if not all.

"I am happy to hear that," he replies at the good news. "So what's the urgency?"

"Pluripotent adult stem cells," House says jumping right in. "Can they help...would they be able..."

"That would be the theory Greg," Mike says in a quiet voice. He already knew what his friend was trying to ask him, so he spared him the trouble.

"But would it actually work?" House was getting desperate and he was having a hard time holding back the fear in his voice.

"Stem cell research is still in it's infancy," Mike says. "A lot of theories exist, and some actual testing, limited testing but what you are asking is definitely possible. The problem usually lies in not having enough pluripotent stem cells available, and rejection."

"So would there be enough from two babies' placentas and umbilical cords?" House asks holding his breath. He needs the answer to be yes, he wants it to be yes.

"It might work, but let me err on the side of caution," Mike says not wanting to build his friend up only to have to let him down later. "There may be enough to reverse some of the damage but not all. You could gain limited range of motion, or you could recover completely. There is a chance of course that it wouldn't work at all, and Greg you could reject the graft and end up losing the leg entirely."

"What do I need to do Mike?" He asks still holding his breath.

"You'd need to come back to Chicago, and bring all of your medical records with you," he answers him. We would need to do some extensive testing, possible exploratory surgery and come up with a treatment plan. I'd have to involve several of my fellow colleagues who also work at CID."

House froze at the thought of going back under the knife, even if did mean he would gain use of his leg. It was a lot for him to think about, and he had not even spoken to Lisa about any of this; he wasn't sure he wanted to saying anything to her about it. Could he do this? Was he willing to put his hopes on the line and face possible failure, could he survive that?

"I need to take care of some things here, but I should be able to be out there by the end of next week," House says making the decision to grab this opportunity with both hands. "How long would I need to stay there?"

"Initially only a few days," Mike replies. "Greg, I also would want you to see a therapist. This is a huge undertaking and the possibility of failure or doing more damage exist. You'd need to be prepare for that, and have an extensive support system in place."

"Let's see what happens while I'm there first," House hedges. Him and therapists were not good combinations.

"Alright, I'll get things started on my end. Just call me a couple of days before you are to arrive," Mike tells him. "And Greg, I'm really looking forward to working with you on this."

Greg hangs up the phone doubt and uncertainty chasing each other around in his head. His heart was seized by fear as well as jubilation. He could be walking without the cane and limp by this time next year.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa walked into her son's room to find him fast asleep and her sister Rachel sitting in a recliner watching television. She silently mouthed hello to her sister, and then went to the bed to look at her sleeping son. He looked so much like his father that is was hard to see any of herself in him. She brushed the dark curls that had fallen onto his forehead off, and leaned over and kissed his cheek, he didn't stir at all.

"He's been out for about a hour now," Rachel says turning the television off. "A nurse came in a little while ago and said they would be removing the morphine drip and just giving him pain meds as he needs them."

"That's a good sign," Lisa says smiling.

"So sis, what's going on with you?"

"I need to slow down and get some rest," Lisa says on a heavy sigh. "I just don't know how."

"Well if you keep collapsing, I'm sure Greg will come up with a few ideas," Rachel says sarcastically.

"Speaking of Greg, I'm not sure what to do about him either," Lisa confesses. "My emotions are all over the place, and I feel so confused."

"Being pregnant I'm sure will do that to you, but Lisa this is Greg you're talking about," her sister emphasizes. "You've been in love with him for so long and denying it for just as long that you have no clue what to do."

"I know," Lisa sighs. "I just don't want to get hurt again."

"You know I love you, but it's time for so tough love. You do realize that you had a lot to do with getting hurt the first time," her sister says gently. "You pushed him away because you were afraid, of what I'm not sure. Maybe it's time to take a chance that the man might just love you."

Lisa and Rachel both looked up as the door to Braeden's room swung open, and House limped through. He could tell that he had interrupted an intense conversation, when all talking ceased as he walked into the room. He noticed that Lisa still looked a little pale and he wanted to get her home where she could rest comfortably and undisturbed.

"Are you ready to go?" He asks her coming to stand next to her. She swings her blue-gray eyes towards him and he is caught off guard by the emotions swirling in their depths. She nods, not trusting her voice to speak.

"Your parents will be her in a couple of hours to relieve you," he says to Rachel. "Tell the twerp I'll be back later on tonight." Rachel nods and shoots a pointed glance at her sister as Lisa and Greg leave the room.

They walked through the hospital drawing stares from staff members as they pass by. Occasionally some one would call out a greeting, but for the most part people just stared as the Dean and her unruly diagnostician walked by. Lisa was hoping that Greg had not ridden his bike back to the hospital, because there was no way in hell she was getting on that beast.

"Stop worrying, I drove your car back," he says sensing what she was thinking. He smiled at that the fact that he could still read her, it would definitely make life easier for him in the coming months.

They walked on in silence each lost in their own thoughts. Greg was trying to decide wether or not to tell Lisa about his conversation with Mike and his upcoming trip to Chicago, or if he should keep that little tidbit to himself. Meanwhile Lisa was dealing with coming to terms that she was just as much to blame for the current state of her relationship with this irascible man

"Where do we stand Greg?" Lisa asks deciding to strike the dragon's tale. She had decided that she was done dancing around the fragile boundaries of their relationship, for God's sake they were about to have 3 _more_ children together. She wanted to know if they were moving forward or just going to continue to run in place.

"I'm guessing you aren't referring to the parking lot?" He quips back not being able to help himself. Lisa looks at him in exasperation, unable to her hide her frustration with his behavior.

"You know what I mean," she snaps back at him, her hands settling on her hips.

"Lisa, I can't offer you everything you want," he begins feeling it necessary to make sure that he doesn't paint her a perfect picture. "I'll never be able to give you all of me when I am so inexplicably broken. I'll never be the sweet adoring husband who massages your feet at night, and brings you flowers home after a long day at work. I'm a bastard, I want things my way, I don't care what other people think, and I'm not likely to change any time soon."

"What if I'm willing to take whatever you are willing to offer?" she asks quietly holding her breath in anticipation of his response.

"What if I'm not willing to offer you anything less than everything" he retorts feeling stressed by everything that has happened over the last 2 days. He can tell that he has hurt her, but that wasn't really his intention, he believes she deserves someone who can and will cater to her every whim. He can't even get out of bed in the morning without unbearable pain and the need for his vicodin.

"Lisa why would you want me any way?" He asks swamped with self doubt and remembering their fight almost 13 years ago when he put himself on the line and she all but destroyed him. He couldn't live through that a second time, the first time he had put a gun to his head, he was sure the second time he'd pull the trigger.

She stepped closer to him, forgetting that they were in a busy parking garage, people walking by them, some looking at them speculatively. Right now nothing mattered to her except convincing this man in front of her that she didn't want any one but him. And she wanted him just as he was; flawed, crippled and a bastard to boot.

"Because I love you," she says simply her eyes slipping from his face. She was scared to look into his eyes and see that he no longer felt the same way, that she had destroyed that sentiment in him. It seemed like she stood there forever waiting for him to say or do something. He didn't do anything, and her world crumbled to ashes around her. Gregory House did not love her anymore, it was time for her to get that through her head and her stupid heart.

Meantime Greg was having a hard time just breathing. She had never, never said she loved him; not before in college, not during the whole fiasco with his leg, not when some crazy fuck shot him, not ever, and damned if it didn't feel as if he was king of the world. He stood there next to her car, speechless unable to say or do anything. He needed to sit down, he needed a drink and damn if he didn't need to take her home and sequester the two of them in his room for the rest of the year, better make that part of next year also.

"Greg maybe we should get in the car and head to your place," Lisa says not wanting to stand here in the open too much longer. She was barely keeping it together, and with the two of them just standing there saying nothing, she was bound to break down any second.

"Good idea," he says ushering her around to the passenger side and helping her in. His body was on autopilot as his brain was moving almost faster than he could keep up . Lisa Cuddy loves him, bad attitude, crippled Greg House. He stood at the driver's side door as a feeling of euphoria swept through him. Little did he know that Lisa was sitting inside the car, her heart breaking and mentally going through the things she would need to pack to take with her when she left his house.

They made the hour drive to House's place in almost complete silence, each wrapped up in their thoughts and plans for the rest of the day. Greg asked Lisa if she wished to stop and grab something to eat, but she told him there was probably plenty of left overs from Christmas dinner, and she'd whip something up when they got there.

She knew she would have to play nice for a little while as none of their family had left as of yet, and everyone was waiting on news of Braeden, plus Lisa and the babies. She had a sneaking suspicion that Wilson would be at Greg's as he had taken the last week of the year off, and she was sure that he had planned to spend some time with Connie. Hopefully she wouldn't have to see him for to long, maybe she could plead tiredness and just go lay down.

Greg pulled into the driveway and headed towards the back of the house. He got out of the car and quickly came around to Lisa's side to help her out. When she tried to pull her hand out from his, he tightened his grip and led her into the kitchen. The place was packed, with both their parents, and siblings, Lisa could hear the kids down the hall in the family room.

Everyone made a fuss over her, and there were repeated congratulations about the triplets. She had to admit that she was still not use to hearing that she was going to have 3 babies; it made her touch her stomach unconsciously and smile. Until Greg leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"One for each time you should have asked me," he says nuzzling her neck. A small thrill swept through Lisa at the feel of his warm mouth against her skin. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not give him more access to her neck.

"Greg not in front of your whole family," she hisses at him. Truth be told no one was really paying them any attention. Some one had made lunch and everybody was busy making themselves plates.

"Fine," he drawls pulling her closer to his body. "Let's excuse ourselves and head back to my room. We both have had a couple of crazy days, I'm sure no one will begrudge us a few hours of down time." Lisa looked up into his blue eyes to see them almost midnight with his lust. The dark blue of his eyes enthralled her and she came close to giving in, instead she took a huge fortifying breath and placed her hand on his chest.

"Greg, I'm exhausted and just want to lay down for a while," she says to him. She doesn't have to feign being tired, she really was, but right now she needed the sanctuary of her room, and to not have to be in his presence.

He looked at her taking in the dark smudges under her eyes, and the slight sag to her shoulders. She was probably beyond exhausted, and he really did want her to rest. They had forever to do the things he had in mind.

"Alright Cuddles off to bed with you," he says propelling her down the hall with a slight push. She blushed at the use of his nick name for her, and he caught the slight pink tinging her cheeks. He watched as she moved down the hall and out of sight, God he loved that woman and it was time for her to find out how much.

"Jimmy we need to go," House says snatching the sandwich that James was just about to take a bite from.

"Where do we need to go?" Jimmy asks looking at his sandwich as it began to disappear into House's mouth.

"Surprise," Greg replies grabbing them a couple more sandwiches and a bag of unopened chips. Jimmy sighs and hops off the bar stool to follow his friend out the door.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Jimmy asks as House parks the car at a large strip mall. Although it was after Christmas the place was still thronged with people hoping to catch after holiday sales and clearances.

"I need to pick up something and I wanted a little extra company and security," House replies limping into the throng of people. Jimmy shook his head not believing that House could actually be out shopping. He always did most of his shopping on line having things delivered to the hospital so he didn't have to worry about being home when the delivery was made.

"Are you telling me that we're going shopping, two days after Christmas?" He asks catching up with his friend.

"Oh no Jimmy," House confirms stopping in front of a large bank that dominated one end of the strip of stores. "You know I hate shopping, but I need to pick up something from this wonderful establishment before they close."

With that he hurriedly pulls open the door and slips inside, Jimmy following on his heels. The relative quiet of the bank is soothing after the hustle and bustle that had surrounded them outside. Jimmy watched as Greg passed by the teller windows and headed for the carpeted customer service area.

"Dr. House," a blond haired woman greets him as he moved toward her desk. "What can I do for you today?"

Jimmy shouldn't have been surprised that the woman was regarding Greg with an appreciative gleam in her eyes. He knew his friend could be a charming devil, and women just seemed to go for the overall scruffy look that he was so good at affecting.

"Joanna, how was you holidays?" House asks taking her slender hand in his and bestowing a dazzling smile on her. Jimmy stood there, mouth hung open as he watched the woman simper, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"They were fine Dr. House," she says blushing furiously at the attention she was receiving from him.

"Now Joanna, I've told you to call me Greg," he says smiling engagingly at her. Once again Jimmy's mouth drops open, and he wished like hell he had his camcorder with him. No one would ever believe what he was seeing without physical proof.

"Oh I couldn't, Mr. Davenport wouldn't approve," she replies.

"You let me worry about him," Greg reassures her moving his hand to her shoulder. Jimmy was standing at the ready in case Joanna swooned and needed to be caught. Seemed like James was doing that a lot lately, picking up women who seemed to crumble into House's arms.

"I need to get into my box," House says breaking the quiet that had settled over the three of them.

"Of course Dr. Hou...I mean Greg," she replies the blush on her cheeks turning a deep red.

The two doctors follow Joanna as she led them over to a closed off area by the banks large vault. Greg handed her a key, and with Jimmy on his heels they entered a small room and closed the door. It was only a few moments before Joanna came back in carrying a long steel gray box. She placed it on the table in front of House and quickly left the room. Jimmy was sure that she had a small group of women outside awaiting her return with details of her little chat with Greg.

James watched as his friend pulled out another key and opened the lid on the box, removing it in one smooth gesture. There were all kinds of papers and envelopes inside as well as boxes of various sizes. He watched as House moved some things around and pulled out a small red box. James stared at the box, taking a moment to see it before jumping to any conclusions. It wasn't until House put the box on the table that Jimmy sucked in a deep breath.

It was a small red box, the size that would hold a ring, an engagement ring. The name Cartier was spelled out on the top in beautiful gold filigree lettering. It took a moment for the shock to wear off and James looked at his friend.

"You have an engagement ring from Cartier's in your safe deposit box?" He asks looking at House in wonder.

"Yeah," was all Greg said. He flipped open the box and after staring at the ring for a moment turned it so that Wilson could see it. James took the box and his breath caught in his throat at the pure beauty of the ring. It wasn't overpowering or pretentious, it was a clean heart shaped diamond set in a wide band of platinum. The band looked as if it were two small fingers cupping the diamond on each side, and a small row of deep blue sapphires march up the sides of the band and surround the diamond.

"Tell me you didn't buy this ring for Stacy," Jimmy says looking at Greg. He could understand keeping the engagement ring you bought for the woman you loved, but he hoped like hell that House didn't have the audacity to give said ring to another woman, to Cuddy. House shook his head, a funny little smile playing on his lips. He turned Jimmy's hand over so that Jimmy could see the inside of the band. He peered at the engraving and then his eyes flew back to his friend's gaze. House laughed at the shell shocked expression. Jimmy looked once more to be sure he wasn't hallucinating, _Lisa, forever your's, Gregory._

"Well I'll be damned," James whispers handing the ring and box back to House. "How long have you had that ring?"

"I got it on Braeden's first birthday," House says getting temporarily lost in the memory.

_He had been in a mood, wanting and needing Lisa, but being to stubborn and angry to call her. With their son's first birthday fast approaching he realized that although she had hurt him deeply, he was still in love with her, and he wanted her with them. It didn't matter that he was with Stacy, he'd gladly end that relationship without a moments hesitation. With a resolve he didn't know he had, he actually flew to Paris to visit the Cartier home store at 13 Rue de la Paix. He had taken his son with him, not wanting to be parted from the child. Stacy had wanted to come on the trip, but House had managed to convince her to stay in New York._

_Greg had wasted no time going to Cartier's and finding the ring that he wanted. Price had not mattered, and when he saw the ring with the beautiful diamond and the sapphires that reminded him of the first time he had made love to Lisa, he knew that was the one. He asked for it to be engraved and was told that it would only take an extra day, and the ring would be ready on the morrow for pick up. That day was his son's first birthday._

"What happened?" James asks pulling Greg from his thoughts.

"When I got back from Paris, and tried to contact Lisa, she was gone," he replies in a voice filled with the pain from finding out that she had left Boston. Melanie had told him to let it go, let Lisa go. After realizing that Melanie really didn't know where Lisa had gone, Greg slipped into a deep depression that took weeks for him to shake. He buried the ring in his sock drawer and then moved it to his safe deposit box so that Stacy wouldn't accidently stumble upon it.

"So the time has finally come," Jimmy says. "You're going to ask her to marry you."

"Yes I am," House says with a silly grin on his face. "I wanted to wait until I could get down on one knee, but to hell with that. I've waited long enough. I'm through with her not being mine and mine alone. I don't want to spend any part of my life without her right by my side."

"Then let's get out of here," Jimmy says slapping him on his back. He was ecstatic that his best friend was at last finding a small measure of happiness, Lord knows he deserved it.

The ride back to House's place was filled with the two of them laughing and bantering back forth. Jimmy had not seen House like this in such a long time that he almost forgot what it was like. They pulled the car around back, and got out still laughing and joking with each other. When they walked into the kitchen it was to find it empty of everyone except Connie. She was sitting at the island sipping a cup of coffee and holding an envelope in her hand. She looked up as the two of the entered and by the expression on her face Greg knew something was wrong.

"It's not Braeden," she reassures him. He let's out the breath he was holding, and looks at her to continue. "It's Lisa, she left about an hour ago." She hands him the envelope, grabs Jimmy's hand and leaves House alone in the kitchen.

He stares at the envelope for a moment, dread creeping through his stomach. He wanted whatever was inside to be something simple like, gone to the mall don't worry, but he knew it wasn't. Greg sat down in the chair that Connie had recently vacated and pulled out the single sheet of paper. He recognized her writing and something inside him died.

Gregory,

I'm going to get straight to the point. I can't do this anymore. I feel like I am constantly in a battle with you, and there is no foreseeable end in sight. I am so confused about what you actually feel for me, that is until today, when I told you I loved you, and you didn't say anything. It hurt and to be honest I don't want to hurt anymore. We can make arrangements about the babies, I know we can both be reasonable adults about this. I think this is for the best and I'm sure you'll agree with me.

Lisa

Gregory felt the hurt well up inside of him, rapidly followed by the dark depression that had swamped him all those years ago when she had rejected him. Some how he managed to lose her again, and now he was forced to try to find a way to pick up the pieces and go on without her. He sat there for what seemed like hours but could have easily only been minutes.

Something inside of him burned and raged, like a wounded animal and he wanted to howl with the injustice of it all. He grabbed the red box that he had for over 11 years; he wanted to hurl it across the room, pretend like it never existed. Just when things looked like they might finally go his way, some one yanked the rug out from under him.

"The last time you walked away," says a voice from the kitchen door way. Greg turns to see Melanie standing there, a set of keys in her hand. "You didn't fight for her, didn't beg her, didn't do anything to make her realize that you were serious. Maybe this time you shouldn't listen to her, but make her listen to you."

With that said, she came over to him, hugged him and pressed the keys into his hand. She walked from the room hoping that what she said would get that man off his ass and over to her best friend's house. She was sure that between him and that little red box, they could make everything right.

House stared at the keys in one hand and the box in the other. She was right, it was time for him to take the chance, and he wasn't about to let the Dean of Medicine stand in his way.

**A/N: Go Greg!! Now just let's hope Lisa plays fair. Now please hit that little review button, I need to hear from you guys!**


	18. Chapter 18: Walk With Me Forever

**A/N: Warning there is smut in this chapter!! Alright, here is a small chapter for you guys. I love you all so much!! You all continue to send your reviews and it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. So don't stop hitting that button, I'm begging you. I am not sure if I will be able to get another chapter out before I have to return to work, but I am certainly going to try.**

**Once again there is SMUT in this chapter.**

Chapter 18: Walk With Me Forever

Lisa was physically and emotionally exhausted. When she had gotten home it was to find her house empty, a fact she was eternally grateful for. Her parents were at the hospital with Braeden, her brother, sister-in-law and their kids were still at House's place, Rachel and her fiancé had left a message that they were going out to a movie. So she had the place to herself for a few hours and didn't have to explain to anyone what she was doing back at her own house.

She had taken the time to unpack the small suitcase she had brought with her and then decided on a long hot bubble bath. After soaking away her troubles she laid down for a quick nap, but that turned into a crying jag and a restless sleep. Now she was going to give food a try, and see if that managed to provide her with any small amount of comfort.

Lisa walked into her kitchen thinking about a nice salad and a soothing cup of tea. S he was brought up short by a small red box sitting on the kitchen island, and behind it an envelope addressed to her . She looked at the kitchen door and saw that it was closed as were all the windows. Lisa walked back to the front door only to find it closed and locked as well. She returned back to the kitchen and the little red box. Maybe it was a Christmas gift that she had not opened, and some one left it where she would find it.

Approaching it she felt a sense of something being off, this was not an over looked Christmas gift, but if that was the case then what did the box represent. Lisa was close enough to read the name on the top, and she sucked in a deep breath at seeing the name Cartier engraved in gold filigree. Her heart rate increased and she found her hands shaking as she reached for the small red box. She was having doubts about this, but her curiosity soon took over her common sense, and she opened the lid, then dropped the whole thing back onto the island.

Her heart was telling her that she had been looking at an engagement ring, but her brain told her she had begun hallucinating, and maybe now was a good time to go back to bed. Gingerly, Lisa picked the box back up, and looked at the ring nestled inside. The unique beauty of the ring captivated her, as well as suited her taste in jewelry. Lisa couldn't help placing the ring on her finger, and she was surprised that it fit perfectly. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she sank to her knees as sobs shook her slight frame.

Getting a grip on her galloping emotions, Lisa reached for the envelope that she assumed accompanied the ring, and pulled a single piece of vellum from within it. If the ring left her speechless and shaking, then the words inscribed on the vellum were close to causing her to pass out; thank goodness she was already on her knees. Her whole body trembled violently, her vision blurred and she thought she saw stars. She read the writing again.

_Marry Me_

No signature, when she thought about it none was really needed. She'd recognize his writing anywhere. But where was he, and how had he managed to get this in her house without her knowing?

"Oh God," she whispers clutching the piece of paper to her chest.

"Is that a yes?" He asks.

Lisa jumps to her feet and whirls around to find Greg leaning in the doorway to the kitchen. She gasps, shocked by his appearance. He is clean shaven, something she hasn't seen since college and it steals her breath away. She can tell that his hair has been trimmed even though he has raked his fingers through it, disheveling it, she realizes that she likes it. The dark grey suit and blue tie he was wearing left her speechless and with a strong desire to remove his clothing and make love to him right on her kitchen floor. She shook herself both mentally and physically, she needed to concentrate on what was happening.

"You're asking me to marry you," she says it as a statement, because it's pretty obvious that marriage is exactly what he's asking.

"I'm asking you to be mine for the rest of our lives," he responds pushing off the wall and approaching her slowly. She notices for the first time that he doesn't have his cane, so his progress is slow, and she is sure quite painful. "I don't ever want you to feel like I don't love you, or need you, or WANT you. You are all I ever desired, all I ever dreamed of."

He was finally close enough for her to touch him, and she hesitated only a moment before cupping his cheek in her hand. The feel of his smooth skin against her palm warmed something deep inside of her. He was telling her that he was willing to make any changes she deemed necessary, that he was willing to do anything to make her happy.

"Lisa Ann Cuddy, I am not asking you to be my wife," he says beginning to sink to one knee. The pain that this was going to cause was already etched on his face, and his body was already trembling with the effort. "I am asking you to allow me both the honor and pleasure of being _your_ husband." Before he could complete the difficult task of getting down on bended knee, Lisa reaches out and grabs him by his elbows, pulling him carefully back to his feet.

"I don't need you to get down on your knees for me Greg," she says pulling him closer to her. She held his trembling body against her own marveling at what he was going to do, so she wouldn't doubt hi sincerity like she had done so many years ago. She had been a fool and she wasn't about to make the same mistake twice.

"Just tell me when and where, and the hounds of hell won't keep me from being there to marry you," she tells him. She pulls his head down to seal it all with a light brush of her lips against his. Greg had other things in mind, wrapping his hands around her waist pulling her body hard against his. He deepened the kiss causing Lisa to moan and grind her hips against his.

"I'm going to make love to you Lisa, and if you keep that up it's going to be right here on your kitchen floor," he says pulling away slightly so that they could both get some much needed air.

I'm all for the counter," Lisa replies pulling him back down for another soul shattering kiss. Greg is surprised by her forwardness, but getting into the spirit of things he hoists her onto the kitchen island and steps in between her legs.

He unties the sash on her bathrobe pulling the two halves apart to reveal that all she is wearing is a black lacy bra and a pair of black lacy panties. He pushes her robe off her shoulders, kissing and nipping at the flesh as he uncovers it. Lisa tries to remove the jacket that he's wearing, but he stops her hands muttering that it's his show. He shrugs the jacket off and slowly unbuttons his shirt, his eyes riveted on her face. His shirt soon follows the jacket and he quickly removes the plain white t-shirt he was wearing underneath.

Not being able to help herself, Lisa draws him back against her body, her hands skimming over his shoulders and chest. She trails light butterfly kisses down his throat and across his collar bone. Greg goes to work unclasping her bra and pulling it slowly from her body, letting it slither to the floor to join the pile of clothes developing there. He cups both of her naked breast in his hands, sighing at the feel of her flesh against his palms. He bends his head down taking one rigid peak into his mouth, suckling and nipping. Lisa bites back a scream and arches her back to give him more access to her breast.

"Like that do you?" He asks a smile forming on his lips as he directs his attention to her other breast.

"If you stop, I'll kill you," she vows scraping her hands through his hair. As his mouth is busy working on her breast, his hand delves into the black lace of her panties, wanting to feel the warmth of her core. He slips a finger into her curls, brushing against her clitoris as he seeks entrance into her body. Lisa thrust her hips wanting, needing his fingers inside her.

"Please Greg," she pleads as he continues to draw out the torture. She reaches between there bodies undoing the belt, zipper and button on his pants. He steps back and pushes his pants and boxers down past his hips, kicking them off and across the floor. Greg closes the distance between them, removes her panties from her and enters her in one hard thrust. He groans as he feels Lisa clench around his erection, taking every inch of him deep inside her.

"You're going to be the death of me," he groans grasping her hips and setting up a demanding rhythm. Lisa could do nothing but cling to him and match him thrust for thrust.

"If you die now, I imagine you'd die a happy man," she says breathlessly into his ear.

"Enough talk out of you woman," he says capturing her mouth in a deep kiss. He reaches between the bodies once again brushing his finger against her clit, teasing and pinching, making her scream from his love making. He increases their tempo knowing that they are both close and wanting to join her as she finds her climax.

"Look at me Lisa," he demands roughly. She opens her darkened eyes, looking into his loving gaze. "I love you," he says on a gasps as her inner wall grasp him tighter and she screams his name, her orgasm causing her body to convulse. With her body tightening around him, Greg only thrust once more before he feels himself explode deep with her body, shaking and trembling from the force of his own orgasm.

He rocks against her slightly until the tremors stop wracking them both, enfolding her in his arms. He places light kisses at her temples and lovingly strokes her back. If he thought his leg could take it, he'd stand here forever, holding her against his body, but he knows they are on borrowed time, so he steps back scooping up her robe. He wraps her up in it, kissing her lips gently.

"You want to grab a shower and then get some dinner?" He asks shrugging into his shirt and pants. "I'm staying with Braeden for a few hours."

"How about we go take that shower together, and then we take dinner to Braeden. I'd love to spend some time with him," she counters grabbing him by his shirt and dragging him back for another kiss.

"Keep that up and all we'll be taking the twerp is a midnight snack," he says helping her from the kitchen island.

"That would be more than fine by mean, but if he's anything like you, our boy is starving to death," she says heading off through the house. Lisa comes to an abrupt stop at the bottom of the steps that lead to her second floor. She looks back uncertainly at Greg dreading the coming conversation.

"Go, it'll take me a few minutes, but I can tackle these," he says shooing her up the stairs.

She wants to stay and help him, but she knows that it is a bad idea. He doesn't want her to see him struggle up the steps, and he damn well isn't going to ask her for help. Lisa knows the best thing to do is go upstairs and get the shower started. She bites her lip, but hurries up the steps.

Greg looks at the steps and all he can think is that it will be easier getting up these than going down on one knee to ask her to marry him. It is going to take him a while but he has enough determination to get up there and take a shower with the woman he loves, but damn if they are ever going to own a house that has steps; even if he does gain use of his leg again.

Lisa allows the hot water to cascade over her body as she feels the shower door open and Greg step into the confines of the small space with her. She turns to greet him with a seductive smile on her face and opens her arms to embrace him. Feeling no embarrassment at her being able to see his scar, Greg steps into her warm embrace and nuzzles the side of her neck.

"Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ in this world will ever keep me from you," he vows kissing her deeply. "If I die and you're not ready for me to go, I promise I'll come back, all you have to do is ask. I love you Lisa."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"So you two have finally decided to get married," Braeden says around a slice of veggie pizza. He had to hide a smile upon spying THE ring on his mother's finger, and try to be nonchalant.

"What makes you think that?" Lisa asks.

"Come on, that is not a friendship ring your wearing on your left ring finger," Braeden says grabbing another slice of pizza.

"Slow down there buddy," his father says moving the box of pizza from in front of him. "You did have major surgery and you need to take it easy."

"I'm still hungry dad," Braeden complains. "I'm a growing boy."

"Grow any more and you're going to need a job to feed yourself," Greg says laughing.

"So WHEN are you getting married?" Braeden demands.

"Whose getting married?" Wilson asks walking into the room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Lisa and Greg sitting close to each other and Greg's arm around the back of Lisa's chair. He also couldn't help but notice THE ring on Lisa's finger. A large smile spread across his face as he slapped his friend on the back.

"Wow, she said yes," Jimmy joked helping himself to a slice of pizza and grabbing an empty chair.

"Hey get your own pizza," Greg grumbles moving the pizza out of Jimmy's reach.

"So as the twerp asked, when are you guys going to tie the knot?" Jimmy says around a mouthful of pizza.

"I could ask when are you going to make a honest woman out of my housekeeper," Greg grumbles shooting him a hard look. Jimmy had the good grace to look a little sick and turn bright red.

"Well...I...we haven't...um," Jimmy stuttered.

"Don't let him intimidate you James," Lisa says laughing. "His bark is a lot worse than his bite."

"Only for you my dear," Greg says in all seriousness. "Everyone else if fair game."

"I've noticed that the two of you have neatly avoided the _when are you getting married _question," Braeden huffs from the bed. His blue eyes had turned dark and serious.

"Isn't it time for a shot of morphine or something for the boy?" House asks looking around for the call nurse button.

"Come on dad," Braeden says getting the same look on his face that his father had on his. Lisa couldn't help but laugh when confronted with House and mini House; God they were just a like. "All of our family is currently in town, wouldn't make sense to get married while everyone is in one place?"

"The kid does have a point," House grudgingly admits. "There are only a few other people I'd want to be there, and I'm sure that any one you wanted to invite would break their necks to be at your wedding." He says glancing at Lisa out of the corner of his eye.

"Where would we have the ceremony, not too mention the reception?" Lisa asks exasperated. "It's only 4 days before New Years, it would be a nightmare trying to get a place for a wedding on such notice."

"Do you trust me?" Greg whispers into her ear.

"With every beat of my heart," she responds sincerely.

"Then let me handle everything," he says pushing up to his feet. "You need to find a dress, and my people will let your people know where and when you need to show up. And Lisa once we're married I expect you to be fully moved into my place, no more running from me."

"Who is getting married? Asks a new voice from the doorway, and everyone in the room turn to see Dr. Allison Cameron standing there looking sick.

**A/N: PLEASE hit that review button! I am in desperate need of inspiration.**


	19. Chapter 19 From This Day Forward

**A/N: This is a very fluffy chapter, but I hope a good one. A little fluff is good from time to time. **

**Once again you guys never cease to amaze me with the reviews. Not that long ago we were closing in on 100 reviews and now we are fast approaching 200. AS always I appreciate every single review from every single person. No matter how short or how long, I love them all, so please continue to send them to me.**

Chapter 19: From This Day Forward

Dr. Allison Cameron stood in the doorway leading into Braeden House's room, a look of both horror and shock etched on her young face. She had heard that some one was getting married and it didn't take an intellectual genius to guess who those people might be. Something inside her shattered at the thought of Lisa Cuddy becoming House's wife, not that Cameron ever thought she would hold that distinction. She never thought any woman would.

"Was there something you needed Dr. Cameron?" House asks in his normal condescending tone. He really didn't have the time nor the inclination to deal with Cameron and her school girl crush. He thought he had made it obvious that he was not interested, not now, not ever.

"I..we have..a"

"Sometime today," House snaps.

"We have a patient," she huffs entering the room fully. The tension in the room sky rocketed and all eyes were trained on House waiting for his next move.

"Unfortunately for said patient I'm on leave," he says leveling his sharp blue gaze on her. "And after my leave ends on the first, I'll be on vacation for my honeymoon for 2 weeks." He replies with a hint of disdain. When Lisa elbowed him in his side for his cheekiness he smiled and turned back to Cameron. "Make that 3 weeks, seems my fiancé wants more time alone with me."

"So what do we do about this patient in the mean time?" Cameron asks not liking the way this conversation was going.

"For the patient's sake I hope you can come up with something," House all but growls at her. "Now if you will excuse us we have a lot of plans to attend to." And with a flair that only House could pull off, Dr. Cameron had been dismissed. It took a few moments for her to realize this, but once she did she quickly left the room.

"You are going to check this patient's file before you leave the hospital today?" Lisa asks him with one eyebrow raised.

"But I'm on leave," House mock whines.

"It will only take you a moment," she counters standing up and leaning over to kiss him. Before she could draw back, he grabs hold of the back of her neck and plunges his tongue into her mouth, stroking her possessively.

"Only for you," he whispers winking at her. Lisa turns a bright shade of red when both Braeden and Jimmy start whistling. She cuts both of them a death stare and they fall over laughing.

"I am going to leave you boys to your antics," she says crisply heading for the door. "And Greg I'll be staying at my place until after the wedding."

"Why woman, you're already knocked up," he replies with a huge grin.

"I like to keep you off balance," she tells him with a smirk as she sashays out of the room with her hips swinging, Greg groaned deep in his throat.

"Dad, you sure as hell have your hands full with that one," Braeden says with a straight face.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

New Year's Eve dawned bright and clear, a perfect day for a wedding in Greg House's mind. The last 4 days had him running around taking care of every detail of his wedding, as well as trying to keep his very nosy bride from finding out anything. He had to end up enlisting the help of his devious minded son to run interference for him.

Braeden had been released from the hospital only 2 days prior and Greg had asked Lisa to let their son stay with her. He told her that he had so many details to see to that he wouldn't be able to stay with him as much as he wanted and he hadn't wanted Braeden to spend a lot of time alone. She fell for it hook line and sinker. Now everything was ready to go, and he was sitting at his breakfast bar enjoying a few quiet moments before the big show.

"Are we all set to leave?" James asks him walking into the kitchen. Greg looks up and cast his friend a dark look. "I didn't stay the night House. Connie and I went out for an early breakfast, then I dropped her off at Lisa's before heading back over here. She gave me her keys."

"I just don't want you to hurt my housekeeper, or lure her away from me," House replies on a sigh.

"I guess you're not too worried about her breaking my heart," Jimmy says grabbing a cup and filling it with coffee.

"You've been married and divorced three times, I think you can pretty much handle yourself," Greg says to him with a smirk. "Connie has fallen for your clean cut handsome image, she doesn't know you like I do."

"She knows me better," Jimmy says with a sly grin. "Look House, I'm not planning on rushing either one of us into anything. She understands that, I just ask that you do the same."

"I'll do my best Jimmy, but I can't make you any promises," House says getting up from the bar stool. "Now it is time to go and kidnap the bride and get this show on the road."

"You haven't told Lisa where the ceremony is taking place?" Jimmy asks as they head out of the house.

"The only thing that Lisa knows is that she is getting married today," Greg responds getting into the rented sky blue Bentley limousine. He nodded to the driver and told the man where to go, and the quickest route to take. Most of the bridal party, as well as both their parents were in on a good amount of the details, but there were a few things that House had kept completely to himself.

"How did you guys convince Braeden to let Lisa's father give her away?" Jimmy asks settling back against the butter soft leather interior.

"I told him that I wanted him by my side along with you" Greg responds with a grin. "I know you two have been plotting, and I think it only fitting that you both stand up there with me. I thought it was a great sentiment that he wanted to give his mom away, but I didn't want to rob her father of that pleasure."

"I know Lisa had a tough time deciding who she wanted to be her maid of honor," Jimmy says pouring them both a snifter of brandy from the car's stocked wet bar.

"Yeah well I'm glad that her sister stepped aside and told her that she believed that Melanie deserved the honor," he says thinking back to the things that Mel had said to him in the kitchen when he believed that he had lost Lisa again. The debt he owed this woman was growing vaster as the years went by.

House fell into a pensive silence as the car closed the miles between him and Lisa. After almost twenty years of so much heartbreak and miscommunication, she was finally going to be his. He wanted everything to be perfect for her, and that was why he had poured so much into this wedding. He wasn't willing to wait so that they could have a huge extravagant affair, but he hoped she liked what he had managed to pull together.

The car came to a stop in front of Lisa's house and Greg told the driver to pull into her driveway. He fingered the thick velvet scarf that was in his pocket and smiled at the audacity of his plan. He and Wilson exited the car and walked to the door where they were met by Braeden. It was still early afternoon and the wedding was not planned to start until 8:00 pm., but there was still a ton of stuff that needed to be done.

"Hey twerp," House greets the young boy. Braeden's recovery was going slower than Greg wanted, and he noted the boy's pale face and instantly began to worry.

"Stop it dad, I'm fine," Braeden grumbles seeing the look on his father's face. "It's just these stairs are a killer when you've had major surgery."

"Alright I won't harass you, but we made a deal," he reminded his son.

"I know, at the first sign of trouble come and get you or mom," Braeden replies. "Now are we ready to go. She's getting suspicious and I get up those steps one more time."

"Let's get this moving then before that woman plans a coup," Greg says slowly making his way up the steps. Wilson was coming up behind him, and Greg could feels his friend's silent support. He had to end up including Jimmy in this part of his plan, because if Lisa put up a fight there was no way House would have been able to get her down the stairs.

Once he was on the second floor landing he pulled at the scarf and nodded to Jimmy. The two of them had crept silently down the hall towards the sound of voices coming from the master bedroom. Greg walked in quickly and all the ladies fell silent as he made a beeline right for Lisa. She turned when the silence had penetrated the room and turned in time to feel Greg grab her hands behind her back and secure them with something soft and velvety.

"What are you doing?" She gasps as his large body presses her into the wall.

"Kidnaping you," he whispers into her ear. He quickly produces another velvet scarf and darkness descends over her as he wraps it around her eyes securing it in the back. "Now I have another scarf to gag that beautiful mouth if you are planning on yelling, so be a good girl and don't tempt me." He pulls her around to face him and places a lingering kiss on her lips.

"But Greg we were about to leave to go to the hairdressers, and I still need to get my nails done," Lisa all but whines. She tries not to panic, but if this man wants her ready in time for the wedding, she couldn't afford to play games with him.

"Don't worry about any of that Lisa, we're just going to elope," he says steering her out of the room. Everyone else had already grabbed dresses and bags that had been packed earlier and carefully hidden out of sight. Most of the bridal party had already piled into the large SUV that Greg had rented and were nowhere around once he finally got her down the steps. The driver had been appraised of the situation so that he did not panic when he saw a bounded and blindfolded woman being led to his car. Greg helped in her inside and then nodded silently to the driver.

"Greg I don't want to elope," Lisa says striving for a calm voice. She thought about all the people that had been so excited for them, and she realized that she wanted this wedding. It wasn't the large affair she had always dreamed of, but it at least was staring the man of her dreams.

"It's going to be alright honey," he says gently patting her hand. "This way it will be all over quickly and we can head off to Edinburgh." Lisa decided not too fuss, she didn't want to give the wretched man any reason to gag her, but her disappointment still rankled.

It seemed as if they were in the car forever, and Lisa was beginning to get restless. It was taking much too long to get to the courthouse for a fast wedding and Lisa was growing suspicious. She knew that Jimmy, Braeden, Melanie and Krista were in the car with them, so she wasn't alone with Greg, but where were they going? After what seemed like forever the car came to a stop and Greg helped her from the backseat. Her hands had grown tired tied behind her back, so House had tied them in front of her, but he refused to take the soft bonds off altogether. Lisa was going to kill, right after they were married.

She felt herself being led up a set of stairs and then she was enveloped in blanket of warmth. She could here the soothing trickle of water and her curiosity grabbed hold of her. She swung her head around in every direction trying to discern where she was by using her other senses. She heard Greg laugh softly behind her, and she scowled at him. That only made him laugh all the harder.

"You know I'm going to kill you," she says to him vehemently.

"Not until after you've married me," he countered helping her slowly up the stairs.

"That's not going to stop me from strangling you with one of these velvet scarves," she huffs as they reach the landing. House takes her by the elbow and gently pulls her after him. She is tempted to dig her heels in, but realizes that it will just delay the inevitable. She hears familiar voices all around her as the two of them enter into a room. The voices fade a little as she assumes they pass through into another room.

"Janice, thank you for helping pull this all together," Lisa hears Greg say. She has no idea who he is talking to, but obviously the person is a co-conspirator and therefore marked for death as well. She would probably have to add James and Mel to that list, but she could find it in her heart to spare the children.

"It should be I who should be thanking you Dr. House," a feminine voice says with a good degree of warmth. Lisa liked that even less. "Grant is waiting for you downstairs, go I'll take care of everything up here."

"Alright, just be careful," Greg warns. "She has claws and she is prone to taking people's heads off."

"I'm sure we will be fine, now off with you." Lisa heard Greg's distinctive limp as he exited the room, and she felt that she was alone with this woman who had greeted him with such warmth and depth of feeling. She felt small soft hands undo the scarf that held her hands bound, and then the scarf was lifted from over her eyes. The sight before her made her gasp in surprise.

She was standing in a large airy room that was beautifully appointed in shades of blue and green. There was a large four poster bed that took up one side of the room, and a matching dresser and exquisite armoire. Lisa was standing in front of a full size oval mirror and in the corner sat an antique washstand complete with porcelain pitcher. There was a large fireplace on the other side of the room and in front of it sat two large wing backed chairs separated by a small table.

"It is so nice to finally meet you," a woman says from slightly behind her. Lisa turns to see a small woman with beautiful white hair and the kindest brown eyes she had ever seen. Before she could react the woman enfolded her in a warm embrace. "Now we need to get started, we don't have very much time. My daughter, Arista owns a salon in town, and she has agreed to do your hair, nails and make-up. Her employees will see to your bridal party and the mothers. So I am going to get out of their way, I have a ton of things to see to downstairs. I'll be back once Arista is done. Don't worry dear, I promise you everything will be fine."

Lisa was in a state of shock that didn't lift while her hair and nails were being done. There was much giggling and laughing from all the women, and eventually Lisa allowed herself to be caught up in the joie de vie. Arista was a true artist and when she was done Lisa's make-up she finally allowed her to look in the mirror. Lisa was truly amazed at the transformation and she almost started to cry.

"Don't worry, your mascara won't run even if you bawl like a baby," Arista assures her laughing. Lisa's breath caught in her throat as her eyes lovingly caressed the blue forget me nots that had been woven into her hair, the color matched Greg's eyes perfectly.

"Thank you, it's so beautiful," Lisa whispers still gazing at the woman who was looking at her from the mirror.

"I had a beautiful canvas to start with," Arista says lightly touching her on the shoulder. "Come on let's get you in your dress, we only have about 40 minutes before we start."

She walks over to the wardrobe, pulls out a large garment bag and hangs it on the closet door. Lisa watched as she pulled the zipper down anticipating the moment that she saw the peach colored dress that she had spent half a day searching for. When Arista uncovered a dress of purest white Lisa could not help but gasp. The dress was absolutely breathtaking, and the veil was so fine and gossamer that it looked like spun silk.

"Although that gown is beautiful, it's not mine," Lisa says standing in front of it fingering the satin sleeve.

"House left this for you," Arista replies handing Lisa a folded piece of paper. "I'll give you a moment alone; call me when you're ready to get dressed." Arista turned and quietly left the room closing the door behind her. Lisa opened the piece of paper and read the words that had been written there.

_My dearest Lisa, _

_We have talked about your wedding gown only once, and it was wether or not you should wear white. You felt that it didn't matter, but you didn't want to appear improper. So you took a day and searched until you found a gown that you could at least be content with. I don't wish just for your contentment, I want you to be deliriously happy. I want you to wear white, because you WANT to wear white. I could care less what others think, if they don't think that you should wear the pure color, especially since you are with child to hell with them. You are everything that is pure to me. I did the best I could, purchasing you a satin gown with Alencon lace, hand sewn pearls and sapphires on tulle overlay; I hope it pleases you. Now get dressed woman and meet me downstairs._

_Greg_

Lisa's breath caught in her throat and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. She loved that man more than life itself, too bad she was still going to strangle him. She would have happily married him in a hemp sack. She heard the door open and her mother and sister were standing there smiling at her. They came in and helped her to get into that beautiful gown and veil. Just when Lisa realized that the shoes she had bought to go with her original gown were not going to match this new gown, her sister pulls out a pair of white kid slippers and slipped them on her feet.

"You're gorgeous Lisa," her mother breathes looking at her in the mirror. "But we're not done yet." Lisa watches as her mother produces a familiar looking box and knows that inside is the Christmas gift Greg has given her. The sapphire necklace, earring and bracelet set off the sapphires in the gown perfectly.

"It's time Lisa," Melanie says from the door. Lisa walked into the sitting room to find her dad standing there waiting for her. All of a sudden she felt nervous and she had to concentrate on not hyperventilating.

"By the way, where are we?" She asks her dad as he led her down a hallway to a set of stairs.

"We are at a 150 year old be and breakfast at Avon by the Sea," he replies with a large smile. "Greg told me he saved the owners life about 3 years ago, and they guy told him if he ever needed the favor returned he'd be glad to help."

The first strains of the wedding march came up to them up the stairs, and all Lisa could hope was that House was not actually the one playing the piano. Although she wouldn't be surprised. Her dad led her down the steps which she saw led into a large great room that was filled to capacity.

The floor was covered with a baby blue runner that led from the top of the stairs to where Greg stood with Jimmy and Braeden by his side. Lisa saw that a large wall of river rock separated this room from another, and that water cascaded down the wall to pool into a bed of rocks at the base. On each side of the room was a large fireplace surrounded by windows that looked out on a star studded sky. Lisa saw family and friends that she thought would be unable to attend the wedding due to timing and short notice, she should have known that Greg would not take no for an answer. By the time Lisa reached Greg, tears were streaming freely down her face. He lifted her veil and gently wiped away her tears.

"You are beautiful," he whispers into her ear. All she can do is smile and blush. "Are you ready to do this?" He asks suddenly nervous.

"With all my heart," she replies and places her hands in his.

**A/N: I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter, it turned out longer than I had planned. Please hit that purple button on your way out!**


	20. Chapter 20: Broken Promises

**A/N: Hello everyone!! I am sincerely sorry for the long delay in this story. My family and I have just returned from an extended vacation following a very deep personal loss. This chapter has been delayed long enough and I hope you guys enjoy. There are many surprises coming for a favorite doctors and I hope many of you will stick with me to the end. Also thank you guys for all the wonderful reviews. You guys are truly the greatest and all reviews are greatly appreciated.**

Chapter 20: Broken Promises

She was mad as hell; actually that didn't even come close to describing how she was feeling. Pissed, angry, betrayed, there it was, that fleeting emotion she had hoped not feel when she thought of her husband. He had lied to her and in doing so left her feeling like he had betrayed her. What was so bloody damn secretive that he could be honest with her? What was he trying to hide?

Dr. Lisa Cuddy stalked down the corridors of her hospital in a fine rage. Everyone who got a good look at her immediately changed directions and went another way. No one wanted to be the ones to take the place of her unruly diagnostician. Lisa never noticed that she had managed to clear the hallways as she moved steadily towards the office of the one person who could shed some light on why her husband found it necessary to lie to her.

For God's sake they had only been married 3 months. Three damn months and he was already keeping secrets from her, and the idiot thought she wouldn't find out. Thought he was so damn clever that he could dupe her. Oh he was going to pay, damn if he wasn't. With thoughts of murder, revenge and mayhem dancing through her brain, Lisa violently pushed open the door to Wilson's office and stormed in.

She managed to take a small amount of satisfaction that she had scared the shit out of her Head of Oncology. The look on his face was priceless and she had no intentions of giving him any breathing room to gather his thoughts.

"Where the hell is he really?" She damn near shouted as she rounded his desk and leaned over into his personal space. Wilson shrank back trying to put some distance between himself and the woman he was sure was going to kill him. Despite the fact that she was 5 months pregnant with triplets, she still scared the piss out of him.

"Where is who?" He asked drawing a complete blank as to who she was referring to.

"Don't play coy with me," she replied poking him in his chest. "My loving, adoring husband, that's who. I know the wretched beast is not at any medical conference, so if you want to not only continue to work here, but live a long healthy life, now would be the time to tell me where he is."

Wilson was trapped and he knew it. The bad part, the really bad part was that he had no idea where Greg was, or what he was up to. He had believed that he went to Chicago for some conference, wether it had to do with medicine or not, he wasn't entirely certain. But the woman in front of him didn't seem as if she was willing to believe anything he had to say except exactly what she wanted to hear.

"Lisa, I really don't know where he is," Wilson began hoping to use reason. "He said he was going to Chicago, I believed him. Obviously that is not the case?" He posed it as a question hoping to deflect her anger.

"Oh he may well be in Chicago, but he damn well is not at any convention," she huffed. "At least not a medical one." Wilson had to admit to himself that she looked glorious in her anger, he ws still relieved that said anger was not directed at him.

"Have you talked to him?" He asked. He got up and walked to the small fridge and pulled her out a bottle of water. She snatched it from him and chugged it down; he hoped she didn't give herself cramps.

"No, the dirty rat bastard has his cell phone turned off," she all but snarled as she continued to stalk around his office like a cage lioness. "And he has had the audacity to not return my messages. I am going to kill his crippled ass when he gets back to New Jersey. Oh what the hell, I'll just go to Chicago, run him to ground and kill him there."

At first Wilson just thought she was blowing off steam, but then she got a gleam in her eyes and headed for the door of his office. He could tell that she had every intention of running House to ground and making him pay for upsetting her so badly. Not daring to think about the repercussions of his actions, he stepped in front of her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Lisa you can't just run to Chicago and try to find him," he tried to reason with her. "He could be anywhere, he may not even be in Chicago." He had the foresight to not mention the fact that she was heavily pregnant, that path would only lead to her anger focusing back on him.

"He'll call you; you know he will," he tried to use his soothing voice, hoping to diffuse the rest of her anger.

"He lied to me Wilson," she said hurt creeping into her voice. And Wilson realized that was part of the problem. House had managed to hurt her and upset her, and he was not around to make any of it better.

"I can't say one way or the other," he replied rubbing her shoulder. "You know him and you know that at times he can be careless of other's feelings. I'm sure that his intentions didn't involve hurting you in any way, sometimes he just can't see beyond what he wants to see."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less," she mumbled. Lisa was embarrassed now that the anger had drained away.

She hated for any one to see her vulnerable, and that would include her husband if and when he managed to bring himself back home. That was something else that was bothering her, that she needed him so much; she hadn't slept well since he left and she had the constant fear that he wouldn't come back, wouldn't come back to her specifically. That made her feel weak and stupid, she shouldn't need to depend on any one else for anything.

"Lisa how did you know he wasn't at the convention?" Wilson asked as he walked with her to the door.

"The head of the convention is an old friend, and she called to ask why I hadn't sent my wonder boy diagnostician. I told her I had," she replied as she slipped out of Wilson's office and headed to the clinic where she was sure she could be kept so busy she wouldn't think about her husband.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Dr. Gregory House sat in a deep, plush chair and stared at the woman sitting across from him. He had been on edge and nervous the last couple of days, and the events of today had left him edgy and snapping with temper. The woman sitting across from him barely seemed to notice.

"Greg, this doesn't have to be as painful as you've made yourself believe it is going to be," she said studying him frankly with her crystal green eyes. Her eyes make Greg think of a cat, a very sneaky obviously up to no good cat.

"I don't like head doctors," he replied gruffly. If Mike hadn't insisted on this session, Greg would have never subjected himself to the psychiatrist sitting there studying him like a fat juicy mouse she was going to slurp up.

"I'm not particularly fond of egotistical geniuses, but I'm willing to overlook that if your willing to play nice for this session," she said gracing him with a smile. "Mike didn't say we had to become best friends, he just needs to know that you can handle what you're setting yourself up for."

"What's there to handle?" House asked snidely. "I have a leg that is pretty much fucking useless, keeps me in constant pain and requires that I limp along with a cane. What's not to love?"

"And if everything goes right with this procedure; are you ready for the full use of your leg?" She asked him.

"I'm pretty sure I'll be able to adjust to living without all the things I just mentioned," he replied. House had to admit that he could like Dr. Sara Winzer, even if she was a shrink, and if he wasn't married he'd even consider trying to get a drink out of her.

"But what happened to your leg has been a part of you for a long time, so much so that it has come to define a large part of what you are now. What happens if you lose all that because the leg is healed?" She asked it smoothly with just a small touch of sarcasm.

"If the leg is healed, I can go back to doing the things I did for the first thirty plus years of my life," he quipped. "I'm sure that those things had a larger impact on who I am, then having a leg that's not worth a damn."

Sara thought is was time to lower the hammer on Dr. Gregory House. "And if things go wrong? What happens if you lose the leg?"

The look on his face was one of quiet deliberation. Sara knew that losing the leg completely would have a far greater impact on him than any other outcome. Essentially he had already lost the leg, but the fact that it was still attached to him physically allowed him to believe that there was a chance that it could all be made better. Getting an amputation took all those options away, and she could tell that House didn't like losing control of any situation.

"That is a risk that I would be forced to take," he replied evenly.

"So you're saying that you could live with a worse outcome?"

"You think that would be worse than the never ending pain that chews at you every minute of everyday," he all but snarls. "How about the fact that the damn thing is all but useless and I'm forced to limp around in a parody of walking. Or that the slightest push could send me off balance and to the floor in a graceless heap. Tell me could anything be worse than all of that?"

"So losing the leg wouldn't be a worse place for you to be?" She asked knowing that he was either lying to himself or wasn't willing to face the truth yet.

"Dr. Winzer when you get right down to it either situation is a lose-lose," House said evenly. "If I lose the leg or it get's no better, then I'm still pretty much swimming in the same pond. Neither situation is a pretty place for me to be, but if there is a chance that it could get better then I think I should grab it and hope for the best."

Sara studied him for a moment. Outwardly he was calm, but she could tell that underneath the surface he had just faced some of his darkest fears. It was important for him to have both eyes open and KNOW that he ran the risk of losing the leg permanently. But now she also understood that if he didn't at least try that would be as undesirable as accepting that he was a cripple for the rest of his life.

"Dr. House, I think you've examined the possibilities as far as they can be explored without actually going through the procedures," she said giving him one of her best winning smiles. Too bad the man was married, for some reason he exuded a certain charm that attracted a woman's attention. "I see no reason that Dr. Crenshaw and his team can not proceed. I wish you luck and I hope that you experience some level of success.

"I guess I should say thank you," House replied levering himself out of the deep seat.

"I'm sure it would bruise our ego too much and I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," she laughed. "Mike is waiting for you in his office, and Greg I will see you again."

Greg was lost in thought as he headed down the hall to Mike's office. He hadn't told Lisa exactly what he would be doing in Chicago and it was making him feel guilty. It was a sensation he wasn't use to it and he still wasn't sure what to do about it. He knew she was going to be mad as hell when she found out, but he hadn't been able to tell her the truth. He wasn't ready to put himself out there for criticism yet, this whole thing already made him way to vulnerable. And if he was honest with himself he was already as vulnerable as he could get where Lisa was concerned.

"Greg are you going to come in, or would you rather stand in the hallway and scowl at my door?" Mike said pulling him out of his deep thoughts. Greg tried not to look too guilty at having been caught completely unaware and strode into Mike's office all but throwing himself into a chair.

"So it looks like we are a go?" Mike said also taking a seat.

"Yes it would seem that way," House replied. He was still slightly lost in thought about his wife and the doghouse he would be living in for the next few weeks if he was lucky.

"We have a lot to plan between now and then," Mike said going through the charts that had been compiled by his staff.

"There was one thing I wanted to ask," Greg said pulling his thoughts together. "I'm sure that I can get you guys privileges at PPTH and that being the case can this be done there?"

"I'm guessing there are extenuating circumstances as to why you's want this done in Jersey?" Mike said leaning back and studying the man he was beginning to think of as a good friend.

"My wife is already going to have my head on a platter for not having told her what I was up to," he said looking guilty. "I don't think it would be a good idea for me to come all the way here to have this done after she has just given birth to 3 babies. Throw in the fact that Braeden will have gone through chemo and the transplant, it seems that it would be a better idea if I could have this done as close to home as possible."

"I agree," Mike said shocking him with his easy acceptance. "The cord blood will need to be treated here, but everything else can be done at PPTH. My team may be a little disgruntled at first but I'll smooth that over. Don't worry Greg, we'll figure out all the details over the next couple of months."

"Well then it's time for me to face the music and head home," Greg said getting to his feet. He held his hand out and Mike shook it feeling the bond between the two of them grow stronger. He like the irrasicable diagnostician and the fact that they were embarking on an exciting experiment together just seemed to solidify their friendship even more.

"I've arranged for Vincent to take you to the airport," Mike said smiling at the look on Greg's face. "I have a meeting that I just can't get out of."

"I'll bet," House replied giving his friend a look of death.

"I'll be calling you to arrange for a visit to PPTH to look over the facilities, and I'm hoping to have a nice visit with your wife." He said walking Greg out the door and to the reception area where Vincent was waiting for them.

"Good, then we can both be in the doghouse together as I'm sure I will still be there," Greg joked slapping Mike on the back.

"Have a safe trip Greg and keep a look out for my call." With that Mike jogged back up the hall as he sifted through all the plans he would need to get implemented.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Greg did his best to ignore the constant chatter that was coming from the driver's seat. He had neglected to charge his Ipod so that was not an option. And even though he was engrossed in his Gameboy and his current game of choice, Vincent's voice just seemed to cut through all the noise so that it reined supreme in the small car.

It didn't really matter to House as he was still trying to figure out what he was going to say to Lisa when he got back to New Jersey. He knew that she was aware of his deception by the number of voice mails and ignored calls on his cell phone. That may not have been the smartest move he had made, but he just couldn't bring himself to explain what he was doing until he knew that there would be something at the end of it.

He cursed succinctly as Link died trying to rescue Zelda. He hated this damn game and he was going to give his son hell for getting him hooked onto it. Vincent chuckled at the stream of curses that flowed out of his mouth as Greg started from his last saved place. House once again tried to tune out who and where was making up the plans for Vincent's evening. His wife was occupying all of his higher brain function and he was thinking about calling her.

Greg pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and gave it a hard stare. What would he say? What SHOULD he say? Something like I'm a fool and if you give me a few minuted I'll do everything to explain...

"OH SHIT!!" He heard Vincent exclaim from next to him and then the sound of brakes squealing. Greg looked up to try and find out what had caused the normally unflappable Vincent to curse, when he heard the sound of breaking glass and metal grinding against metal. The sound of the impact was like an explosion in the back of his mind and as the sensation that he was flying took hold of him, he was sure that he had missed something very important.

Several things flashed across his synapsis and were all instantly swallowed up by the dark oblivion that was racing for him. Pain blossomed through out his body only to be over shadowed as his head cracked hard against something he couldn't identify. What was left of his vision went grey, then black as the last thought that skittered across his brain was, _Damn, Link better have a good reason as to why he didn't rescue Zelda when he woke up._

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa jumped as her whole body felt like it was about to seize. She managed to spill the cup of lukewarm coffee she had been holding all down the front of her cream colored suit. That thought barely registered as she tried to calm her breathing and ascertain where this unreasonable fear had crawled from. Her stomach was in knots and she felt like something was chewing at her belly.

"Get a grip woman," she mumbled trying to placate herself. She wasn't sure if she had dozed off or what, but something had pulled her violently back to the present. When her cell phone began it's shrill ring, she almost tossed it out of the window instead of answering it.

"Cuddy," she damn neared barked into the phone.

"Lisa, it's Mike," came the brusque voice through the static of her phone. "Mike Crenshaw in Chicago."

"Is something wrong?" She asked. Her first fear was for the babies she was carrying, but Mike wouldn't have news about the babies would he? Unless something had gone wrong with the insemination and the babies weren't a match to Braeden.

"Yes," he said not wanting to drag it out. "There has been an accident. Greg was hurt and they had to medivac him to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Lisa you need to get here right away; he's critical.

Lisa sat down hard and her world still felt like it was spinning. Greg was hurt, that was all that mattered yet she couldn't manage to say anything or make herself move.

"Do you need me call someone to help you?" She heard Mike ask. Did she need someone? She was sure that she did, but the person she needed wasn't there, he was hurt and she had to get to him.

"No...no Mike," she stuttered. "I'll be on the next flight to Chicago. You let that son of a bitch know that if he so much as flat line before I get there I'll kick his ass." With that she hung up and called out to her assistant and called Wilson's office.

Everyone jumped to her commands as she snapped them out efficiently and calmly; what they could see was that inside she was slowly dying. She wouldn't lose him, he couldn't leave her. Damn it, he had promised her that if he died and she wasn't ready for him to go, he'd come back. Well he needed to bring his crippled ass back right now before she had to go to hell and drag him back.

**Oh my I can so be a bad person!! But I can also see Cuddy striding through hell looking for Greg. OK I'm begging for reviews, so pleas take a moment and let me know.**


	21. Chapter 21: Til Death Does Us Part

**A/N: This chapter was written very quickly and I only did a minor read through as I wanted to get it posted a soon as I could. Please don't kill me yet, let me finish the story before you guys try to hunt me down. This chapter may be a little emotional, but we have to keep moving forward. I have to say a huge thank you to all of you who left a review. You guys are beyond awesome and I love you all!! SO please keep leaving me reviews.**

Chapter 21: Til Death Do Us Part...

Dr. Lisa Cuddy strode through the emergency room doors of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a woman on a mission. No one from PPTH would recognize the sophisticated Dean of Medicine with the woman who rushed up to the information desk, yet even in her panic Cuddy presented an outward demeanor of calm.

She had rushed through instructions to her admin and Wilson, called both her parents and Greg's, given them what little information that she had and made a mad dash out of the hospital.. She then made it to the airport in record time and onto the next flight to Chicago. She knew that their respective families would be following her on a later flight, brining her son, their son to this hospital. She hoped that by the time they got there she would be able to tell them that it wasn't as bad as it had first seemed.

That happened a lot, she reassured herself. A car accident looked bad, twisted metal, shattered glass and medical personnel assumed worse case scenario, it was in the best interest of the victims for them to do so. Get them medical attention quickly, find out it was just a few cuts, bruises, maybe a broken bone or two; patch them up and send them home. That was all this probably was, that's what she kept telling herself, praying for.

She must have stood there to long lost in her own thoughts because the woman behind the desk placed a hand on her arm. "Ma'am are you ok?" The pleasant voice drifted over her. Lisa shook her head to clear it and looked at the woman addressing her.

"I am looking for my husband," she replied, a little fear creeping into her voice. She still got a small thrill from thinking of Greg as her husband, to referring to him as such. "Gregory House, I was told that he had been brought in."

The woman checked her screen for information and then looked up at Lisa quickly. Her eyes dropped back down to the screen and Cuddy felt her stomach roll. Avoided eye contact was never a good sign, it meant that something bad had happened and the person in front of you didn't want to be the one to have top tell you.

"If you go up to the 4th floor, I'll have Dr. Crenshaw paged to meet you at the nurses' desk," the woman told her. She pulled at a paper map and outlined the route to the elevators in red marker and handed it to Cuddy.

Lisa took the paper into hands that were not altogether steady and strode off towards the elevators. The mantra that it was probably not as bad as it seemed continued to play in her head, a steady reassurance to block out thoughts of horror. Her hand strayed to her stomach, where she felt the flutter of tiny kicks from one of her babies.

The trip to the 4th floor seemed to take forever, even though she knew only a few minutes had passed. When the elevator doors opened she saw Mike standing there waiting for her. She took one look at him and felt her resolve crumble. Before she could do more than step off the elevator, he gathered her into his arms, soothingly rubbing her back.

"I need to see him," she said pulling out of his embrace. She gathered herself together and tried to reach for a calm that she no longer felt. Mike looked like he had been through hell and back, and that did not bode well.

"Soon," he told her. He took her hand and gently pulled her down the hall and into a small lounge. The air in there was cool and it helped Lisa to stave of the panic that threatened to overwhelm her. Mike helped her into one of the chairs and took the one next to her.

"I need to hear what happened," she said turning so that she could look at him. "Please Mike, I can't take not knowing." He shook his head and she could see that he was gathering the courage to tell her, to not hold back any of the details.

"Greg was heading to the airport to catch a late afternoon flight back to New Jersey," he began. Mike jumped out of the chair and began to pace the small room. "I was suppose to take him, but I had a last minute meeting that just couldn't be postponed, so Vincent volunteered. From what the police have told me, a dump truck blew through a red light and hit their car broadside. It hit with such speed and force, the impact sent the car air borne, it hit the ground and then rolled 5 times. They had to cut Greg out the wreckage and then he was transported here by medivac."

Mike paused a moment trying to bring his emotions back under control. He had come to like both Greg and Lisa very much, and he was finding it difficult to relay this information to her.

"The driver, was he drunk or something?" Lisa asked. She hadn't wanted to know, but something inside of her had forced the question out.

"No," Mike replied. "David Greene was a driver for Clayton Construction and according to his blood work he had no alcohol in his system."

"You said was," Lisa pounced on his use of the past tense.

"He died at the scene," Mike confirmed. "Massive heart attack, he may have been dead before he even hit their car.

"Vincent, you haven't mentioned him," she said dread creeping into her stomach and voice. She watched as Mike swallowed hard and if she wasn't mistaken tears form in his dark brown eyes.

"His seat belt snapped from the force of the collision and he was ejected from the vehicle," he said in voice laced with grief. He had never told either one of them that Vincent was his nephew. "He was crushed when the vehicle rolled and was pronounced at the scene as well."

"Oh my God," Lisa gasped standing up and going to him. Now it was her turn to gather him in her arms and offer what comfort she could. "I am so sorry. I like Vincent very much, you just couldn't help but like him."

"Yeah," he replied trying to tamp down his grief. "This is going to kill my sister, he was all she had left. Damn it, but I should have been the one driving that car, maybe if I had been then none of this would have happened."

"Don't you dare blame yourself," Lisa said forcing him to look into her eyes. "This was truly an unfortunate accident. I'm sure David Green didn't mean to have a heart attack, die and cause an accident that took the life of some one else. Your sister needs your support and love, self recriminations will not help either of you."

"I would have to agree with her Mike," a new voice said from the doorway. Lisa looked over to see a tall man in green scrubs with a handsome face enter the room.

"Lisa this is Dr. Coris Burke," Mike said using the reprieve to get his emotions back under wraps. "He's a trauma surgeon here at Northwestern."

"Mrs. House," he began.

"Dr. Cuddy," she corrected gently but firmly. "But please call me Lisa, no need to stand on formality."

"I'm sorry I was not aware," he replied inclining his head in agreement. "Let's sit down as I'm sure this had been a trying night for all of us." He indicated the chairs and everyone dropped back into them each with a different thought weighing on their minds.

"Dr. Burke just give it to me straight," she said.

"Please just Burke," he said sitting back in the chair. "Your husband is in critical condition and to be quite honest I'm not sure how that is even possible. When he was brought in he was in full arrest, but we managed to some how snatch him back." He paused for a moment as the shock of what he just said penetrated.

"He has massive internal damage, the spleen and gallbladder were both removed. There was damage to his small intestines, a laceration on his liver and both kidneys had heavy bleeding. He has 6 broken ribs, his right lung was punctured and collapsed. There was no damage to his heart but the strain was putting to much pressure on it and it gave out on us twice."

Lisa's anguished gasp had him stopping and reaching for her hand. He wasn't sure how he was going to manage to tell her the rest. He gave her a few moments then plunged ahead. "Greg must have hit his head, maybe on the dashboard before the air bag deployed."

"Oh God, please not that," Lisa sobbed. Mike knelt down in front of her chair and took hold of her hands trying to offer what support he could. She was openly crying now and Mike knew that tears ran unchecked down his own face. "How bad, how bad is it?"

"Traumatic brain injury," Burke replied. "He fractured his skull, has a contussion and there is some swelling of the brain. He's in coma, and I don't know when he'll wake up, if he wakes up."

"I need to see him," Lisa said jumping up as fast as her pregnant body would allow it. Burke rose slowly from his chair, reluctance lined on his face. His concern was that this strong yet pregnant woman might take one look at her husband and the shock would push her into premature labor.

"Don't try to coddle me, shield me from this," she said seeing the truth in his eyes. "If I need to be then I'll be tough, but he needs to know that I'm here and that I'll always be here."

"Alright," Burke replied. He could see the strength that radiated through her, she'd have some rough patches but she'd be ok, she wouldn't allow herself to be anything but.

He led her down the hall and into the sterile environment of the ICU. They walked pass glass enclosed bays where the sound of various machinery could be heard chugging away. The sounds of the hospital soothed her jangled nerves, it was a place she had always felt comfortable in. Burke stopped them in front of a bay and lightly touched her arm, stopping her from rushing in.

"You're a doctor, you know what you'll see when you go in there, but no matter how many times you've seen it, nothing prepares you for when it is some one you love," he told her.

Lisa nodded knowing he was right, but she walked into the room her breath trapped in her throat. The sight of her husband lying in a hospital bed with more tubes and wires leading from his battered body to various machines had that breath whooshing out of her body. He looked so small surrounded by all that machinery, almost fragile and that struck her as elementally wrong.

She touched his hand, his arm and trailed a gentle finger down his cheek. The feel of his rough stubble against her finger brought a small watery smile to her face. He was covered with a white sheet, obscuring the hideous damage that was left by the accident and then surgery. The only evidence of the violence done to him was the yellow and black bruise that went from his cheek and blossomed over his eye, forehead and stretched all the way to his ear. She lightly touched her lips to the bruise, the thought that kissing it will make it better flashing through her brain.

Tears streamed freely down her cheeks and she felt one of the babies kick violently against her stomach. She piked up Greg's hand and laid it gently against the spot where their baby was making it's presence known. Lisa leaned over and placed her lips against his ear, she had something to say and she wanted to make sure that he heard her.

"Greg, you bastard. I told you that one day karma would sneak up behind you and beat you over the back of your head, well it looks like that day has arrived," she said a sob trying to rise up and choke off her flow of words. Lisa took a moment, drawing in a deep breath and steeling her voice to continue.

"I'm going to give you seven days Greg, just seven. Take those days, let your body heal, and then you better open your eyes you evil wretched man. If you don't open those blue eyes, I'm going to come in there and beat the crap out of you myself." The baby gave another strong, violent kick as if to give her words an extra punch.

"And just to let you know I found out the sex of your spawn, if you want to know what they are you're going to need to show me those baby blues. Seven days Greg, that's it no more."

Lisa leaned back and kissed him on his cheek and then softly pressed her lips to his. She tasted the salt from her own tears and it almost brought her to her knees. She felt strong hands lift her up and guide her from the room. Once she cleared the opening to the bay she broke down in heart wrenching sobs, allowing the pain and grief to finally have their moment.

"You need to get some rest," Mike said.

"I can't leave him," she replied shaking her head.

"Lisa, you're close to collapsing; you won't do him or yourself any good if you allow yourself to get to that point. Just a little rest, some food and then we'll come back. A couple hours, I promise you."

She knew he was right, she could feel the strength leave her body and bone aching weariness take it's place. Her family would be here in a few hours and her son would need her, would need her to help him understand and deal with whatever else was going to be thrown at them.

"Just for a little while, just until my family get's here," she replied. She owed Mike a lot, he had his own grief he had to be dealing with, but he was here with her instead of his own family. "I'll be ok, you need to go and be with your family."

"My nephew would understand, he wouldn't want you to be alone right now," Mike said as he gently guided her down the hallway and to the elevator. "We'll make arrangements for you and your family to stay at a hotel that's within walking distance to the hospital. Right now though, I'm taking you home to my wife and you're going to get a little sleep."

She let him lead her through the large hospital, to the garage and into his car. He kept up a steady stream of conversation, his calm voice washing over her. Lisa allowed herself to rest her head against the back of the seat and then slowly she was sucked down into a deep fretful sleep.

**A/N: This chapter is a little shorter, but I think it had quite a bit to it. Please hit that purple review button and let me know what you think.**


	22. Chapter 22: Seven Days Til Tomorrow

**A/N: This chapter is by far the longest I have written to date. It rambles at times and there are a few places that you're going to want to hunt me down and kill me, but I remain in hiding until the storm passes. Once again I can't thank you guys enough for the reviews. You guys continue to lavish praise, and I continue to lap it up. So please keep it coming.**

Chapter 22: Seven Days Til Tomorrow

Day one had not gone as Lisa Cuddy had envisioned. After a few hours sleeping like the dead at Mike's house, she left to meet Greg's parents and her son at the airport. Braeden was quiet almost stoically so; it worried her to no end. Her parents, Wilson and Connie were arriving on a flight a few hours later, so Cuddy decided that a meal at a restaurant in the airport would be a better idea then going all the way to the hotel, only to have to come back again later.

Once everyone had arrived from Jersey, they began the long trek to the hotel nearest Northwestern Memorial Hospital and after checking in, they all descended on Lisa to find out about Greg's condition. It had not been an experience that Lisa wanted to live through any time soon. She knew there was no going back to the hospital that night as the ICU visiting hours were rigidly set, as it was she was going to have to make special arrangements for Braeden to be allowed to see his father. That was a conversation she wasn't looking forward to;_ my dying son should be given the opportunity to visit his father, who was involved in a fatal car crash and is barely clinging to life. _ Yeah that sounded like a winner.

It should have come as no surprise to anyone that she hadn't slept, but spent the whole night tossing and waiting for the phone call that ordered her to the hospital. No phone call ever came and as the first rays of dawn began to streak across the sky, Lisa gave up on sleep and began the chore of getting dressed. Her eyes were gritty, her body felt like it had been dragged behind a bus, and there was a full orchestra playing in her head. All in all she felt like shit.

She skipped breakfast and headed to the hospital promising Braeden that she'd get the clearance necessary to bring him to see his dad. It didn't matter if anyone thought it was a bad idea for an impressionable twelve year old to see his father that close to death; it was what he wanted, it was going to be what he got. The sight that greeted her when the double doors to ICU opened, would be forever etched on her psyche.

There were people running in and out of the room that Greg had been assigned to, and she could hear the raised voices coming from inside. The monitor above his bed told the story, it was a flat line, his heart had stopped. She watched as Burke placed the metal paddles against Greg's chest, yelled clear and sent electricity coursing through his body. She saw his body jerk from the shock, and for a moment her heart jumped in agony, and then her eyes flew to the monitor. The flat line jumped a few times and when everyone believed that it would go back to being the same flat line, the monitor gave out a weak beep, followed by another and then another.

"Blood pressure is still low, 63 over 48," a nurse called out. People slowly shifted out of the room, going back to other duties and Lisa was still unable to cross the threshold. She stood immobile, unable to breath, fear slowly chocking the life out of her.

Dr. Burke looked up and saw her standing there, framed against the door, a pale pregnant woman who was no doubt going to lose her husband. He had seen death more than he cared to remember, but something about the way Lisa Cuddy looked in that moment had him doing something he rarely did, he was going to try to give her some hope.

"He's a fighter," Burke said coming to take her arm and walking her to the only chair in the room. He pressed her down gently and was surprised when she resisted and remained standing.

"Actually he's just being a stubborn ass," she replied her voice strong with indignation. Burke glanced at her in bafflement and catching the look, Cuddy let out a small chuckle.

"I told him last night that if he died, I was naming his three daughters Gregette, Gregina, and Greganna," she said with a smirk.

"Oh God, that would be enough to get me to come back from the dead," Burke said with a look of sheer horror.

"That was my plan," she said growing solemn as she leaned over and kissed Greg's unbruised cheek.

"Three girls huh?" Burke asked. Lisa smiled as she straightened and shook her head.

"Actually I'm not telling; more incentive for him to wake up," she replied with a devious smile. "He's a stubborn pain in the ass, but more than that he is curious. He can't stand not knowing something and the man will get up out of his grave if there is a question he still doesn't have the answer to."

"If it works then by all means let's exploit it," Burke said heading for the door. "I have rounds to make, but I'm here if you need me and Lisa please don't hesitate to bother me."

"In that case," she said giving him her undivided attention. "His son needs to see him. I know there are strict guidelines to visitation in the ICU, but Braeden is also battling against a clock. For a long time they were all the other had, he needs to see his father."

"Do you believe he can handle it?" Burke asked concerned. Most children were unable to cope with seeing a parent in the condition that Greg was currently in, not too mention that his heart could give out again forcing them to try and bring it back. That would be traumatic for a child, hell it was traumatic for a seasoned doctor.

"Braeden can and will handle it just fine," Lisa assured him. "He is a remarkable twelve year old, but more importantly that's not just his father in that bed, but his best friend. He needs reassurance or closure, and I can't give that to him with sketchy updates."

"I'll see to it that the staff is made aware that he is allowed to visit, just don't push too hard. It's tough to see a parent so vulnerable."

"Trust me I understand," she replied turning her attention back to Greg and effectively shutting out the rest of the world.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Day two was better in that there was no change in Greg's condition. He neither got worse nor better, Lisa knew that could mean that the bottom would drop out at any moment. She had let Greg's parents see he in the first part of the day. Only two people were allowed up at any given time and she knew that his parents were suffering just as badly as she was herself. It was nothing like facing the possibility of losing your child, no matter how grown, that could make a parent revisit each mistake made with regret and sorrow. She knew that Greg's father was hating himself right now for he relationship he had with is son, and she was pretty sure that he was making God all kinds of promises if his son lived.

Lisa spent the early part of day two bullying and harassing her staff from 800 miles away, no sense in letting a little thing like distance make them complacent. Everything at her own hospital was running smoothly, and after talking with her admin for over an hour she turned her attention to her emails. She was shocked by the number of emails wishing for Greg's speedy recovery and their return to PPTH, she decided to chalk it up to appearances. No one wanted the boss to think they were insensitive, especially when the person it concerned was her husband.

"Are you ready?" The sound of her son's voice startled her and Lisa turned around to see him peering cautiously into the bedroom. He had been so quiet, almost as if he was trying to disappear that she was becoming worried about him.

"Before we go Braeden maybe you and I should have a little talk," she said motioning him into the room. He shuffled in the way some one does when they are really reluctant. His shoulders were slumped and he hung his head like he was waiting to be kicked.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" She asked him. The look about him was tearing her apart and she was beside herself in wanting to fix it.

"I'm scared," he replied in a voice more suited to a little boy. She was astonished that he would be afraid, afterall he faced the possibility of his own death with a mix of bravery and nonchalance.

"I can't promise you that you'll dad will come through this," she said gathering him close. "And even if he does, there will be a long road of recovery and he may still never be one hundred percent."

"If...if he does die, will I be able to stay with you?" He asked. He looked at her with eyes filled with fear and trepidation. He need assurances that he wouldn't be dumped aside and that his feelings would be taken into consideration.

"If that is what you want then I will make sure that is what will happen," she told him vehemently. She knew that Greg had made arrangements for their son in the event of his untimely death, but that had all been before they were married; and eve though they hadn't gotten around to setting up new arrangements, she'd fight tooth and nail for her son.

"Yes, I'd want to be with you," he replied. "I'm not saying that I don't love my grandparents, or Uncle Chris and Aunt Mel, but I'd need to be with you and the babies. I'd need that more than anything else."

"Then I promise you here and now that is how it will be, but we get ahead of ourselves," she said taking his hand and walking out of the room. "Your father is as stubborn as they come, and if he's not ready to go, he won't go."

"He also won't go if you need him," Braeden said with a grin she hadn't seen since he'd gotten off the airplane. The two of them walked hand in hand to the hospital.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Day three was a testament to heartache and the need for something stronger than tea or coffee. She could have used a couple shots of vodka, oh what the hell, she could have used the whole damn bottle. Unfortunately in her current condition she was unable to drown her sorrows and escape into the oblivion that could be brought on by drunken revelry; no instead she had to be stone cold sober and aware of everything going on around her.

Walking into Greg's room and see Burke and a couple of technicians made her world spin a little crazily on it's axis. "How bad?" She asked in the resigned voice of a doctor. Burke looked up and catching sight of her let out a heavy sigh; he had hoped to catch her and talk to her before she came into Greg's room.

"His kidneys were badly damaged, and they aren't getting any better," Burke told her, deciding not to sugar coat any of it. "We're going for dialysis, but I'm only so optimistic."

"Damn your evil hide Gregory House," she snarled coming close to the bed. She wanted to rant and rave, but one of the babies sent up a violent kick in protest. It seemed that even his evil spawn were already trying to intercede in his defense. Knowing when she was beaten, Lisa sank into the chair, holding her head in her hands.

"There's more Lisa," Burke said wishing like hell he could just slink out of the room and leave her to her silent grief. Greg was not making this easy on her, and if the man ever pulled through, he was going to thrash him within an inch of his life. That would be a lot closer than he currently was.

"We had to take him back to surgery early this morning. He ws bleeding internally again, but we managed to catch and hopefully repaired the damage. He's still holding his own Lisa, let's give him some time to bounce back."

"The memorial service fro Vincent is tonight," she said a bit absently. "Are you going?"

"I have planned on it," he replied. "Mike and I have been friends since college and I know his family well. No one expects for you to attend." He said it gently hoping to alleviate any obligation she might have felt.

"I expect it of me," she replied, conviction strong in her voice. "My husband was in that car when that boy lost his life. It's only right that I attend the memorial in his honor. I won't go so far as to say that Greg would have wanted me to do that, but I need to do it, so I'll be there."

"Do you wish me to accompany you?" He asked feeling the need to offer his service to her in any small way. If it wasn't for the fact that she was married, he felt he could fall for Lisa Cuddy; it might not make a difference that she was married. Something about her appealed to him.

"No, but thank you," she said with a small smile. "My father has rented a car for the next couple of days, and my friend Wilson will go with me."

"Then I will see you there," Burke said as he eased out of the room. He stood at the nurses' station for a few moments, then slowly moved off to tend to other patients.

Lisa looked at Greg and began to face the possibility that he might not be able to beat this, that he might have met his match in a 20 ton dump truck.

"I'm not ready to let you go damn it," she whispered in a voice chocked with tears. "I just got you, so please don't leave me; I'm begging you Gregory House, don't leave me."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Day four was by far the best day that had occurred since she had gotten the phone call from Mike saying that she needed to get to Chicago with all possible haste. She had spent a quiet morning with Connie shopping down the Magnificent Mile, while Wilson and her parents took turns sitting with Greg. Braeden had stayed at the hotel with her parents, sensing that she needed some time away, away from everything and he was of a mind that a little girl time would do her good.

It was hard to do something as simple as have breakfast, then hit the stores with the intention of shopping. It all seemed so normal, so out of place to what ws going on in her life, but Connie convinced her that it would help charge her for the next few days to come. So they shopped, and surprisingly brought several packages that they were going to have to ship home. Lisa felt better, believed she could handle anything that had happened at the hospital in her absence.

Before she could leave the room, there was a knock at the door. Expecting maybe Wilson or Connie, she was surprised to find Mike standing there looking weary and disheveled. His eyes were blood shot and he look like he had slept in his clothes. Lisa gently guided him into the room, pressed him into a chair, sinking down next to him and waited for him to gather his thoughts together.

"Putting my nephew in the ground was the hardest thing I've ever done," he said in voice slurred with tiredness. "And if it was hard for me, then I have no idea what my sister must be feeling." Lisa could understand his pain, his turmoil; she and Greg face having to bury their son if the bone marrow transplant didn't work, or if he wasn't able to hold out that long.

"Death is never easy, at least not for those of us left living," she said taking his hand gently into her's. "And a life cut off so short seems a mockery of what life should be."

He wept silent, a man so far gone in his grief that he felt no embarrassment in grieving openly. Lisa let him get it out, knowing that platitudes wouldn't help him right now, he just needed to let go. After several moments he pulled himself together and looked at her with an apology in his eyes.

"Oh no you don't," she said squeezing his hand tightly. "You're allowed you grief and your tears. I'll think no less of you for seeing you cry."

"The I must thank you, I'm not usually such an emotional creature," he responded.

"Mike I need to ask you something, and I hope I'm not asking you to break any confidences between you and Greg," she said hesitating.

"You want to know why he was in Chicago," Mike said with a small smile on his face.

"Is it that obvious?" She asked with a little laugh.

"Yes, but if I were in your position I'd have the same question," he replied. "I'm not sure of all the reason he didn't confide in you about this trip, but I know that he didn't want to build up anyone else's hope, he had enough trouble dealing with his own."

At her look of pure bafflement Mike let out a hearty laugh and felt the weight begin to life from his chest. Life went on, sometimes slowly and sometimes with not as much color, but it kept on going and you had to keep going with it.

"He was here so that we could run test and probabilities on wether pluripotent stem cells could help regenerate the damage in his leg," Mike told her. Lisa gasped as the words sank in, and the bright flare of hope bloomed within her. There was a possibility that Greg could have full use of his leg. A small voice cautioned her that he would first have to regain full use of his life.

"Is it possible?" She asked the question in a whisper.

"It is certainly possible, but we just don't have enough data to know to what end," he replied. When he saw the crestfallen look on her face he quickly continued. "Doesn't mean we aren't going to try and find out."

"I'd love to hear more, but I need to get to the hospital," she told him feeling torn.

"We'll get together after Greg pulls through this, and I have no doubt that he will," he said seeing he expression. He accompanied her to the lobby, gave her a fierce hug and watched as she walked away.

Lisa walked into Greg's room and found Burke talking to 3 other men who had the air of doctors. She felt her world slide away and the need to desperately beat something slither through her belly, the man currently lying unconscious in the bed looked like a good candidate.

"Damn it what now you miserable son of a bitch," she snarled at Greg's supine form. The doctors looked at her in shock and Burke couldn't help the rumble of laughter that poured out of him.

"Actually Lisa, I have some good news for you," he said stepping forward and pulling her in the room.

"So what's up with the three stooges?" She asked whispering in his ear. He couldn't help but throw back his head a roar with laughter.

"Let me introduce you," he said once he had managed to get a hold of himself. "This is doctors Reilly, Grant and Hawthorne; they are neurologist assigned to Greg. I let them explain what exactly is going o in that thick skull of his."

"Dr. Cuddy, I'm sorry that we haven't met before now, but we seem to have kept missing each other," the man introduced as Grant said taking her hand into his. Lisa thought he was a distinguished looking man with his salt and pepper hair, dark blue eyes, and the laugh lines that framed his mouth.

"Your husband had us worried, and while he's still not out of the woods, we are seeing some improvement. The swelling in his brain has subsided and he has begun to respond to pain stimuli," Dr. Grant informed her. Lisa felt a tremendous weight lift from her shoulders that she was able to breathe easier for the first time in days.

"Now we both know that until he wakes up, we won't know if there is any brain damage, but I'm hopeful that he will continue to respond. Should you need to speak to me or my associates have the nurses page us."

Lisa nodded numbly as she watched the trio leave the room. Her eyes were riveted on Greg, and although he looked no different than yesterday, she knew that at the very least his body was beginning to heal.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Day five could have been called the day of ups and downs. For every positive thing that happened, something of equal and disastrous proportions evened it out. When she first arrived at the hospital it was to find that Greg had been removed from the respirator. She was thrilled that even though his breathing was a little labored, he was breathing on his own.

Less than an hour later all the machines in the room began to give off shrill alarms that had nurses pouring into the room. Within a few moments they were bagging him, and the respiratory technicians were hurriedly putting him back on the blasted machine. One of the nurses slightly touched her shoulder in a silent show of sympathy as she walked out of the room. Burke came in a few minutes later and explained that his lungs just weren't ready to function on their own, and his heart couldn't take the strain.

Lisa understood the medial part of it, but her own heart had a hard time accepting the part that Greg was still very ill. She was concerned with the fact that he was losing weight, as far as she was concerned he couldn't afford to lose a single pound. Why the hell wouldn't he just wake up.

Two hours after they had placed him back on the respirator Burke returned and told her that Greg's kidneys were once again functioning on their own, and he had decided to remove him from the dialysis. The techs came in a few minutes later, and removed him from the machinery taking it with them when they left. Things were quiet for a mere half hour.

While she sat there going of several emails, Lisa glanced up and sw Greg's body go rigid. She dumped her laptop on he floor and ran to his bedside where she hit the emergency call button. Nurses once again ran into the room and after a few minutes Dr. Grant was paged to the ICU. Lisa knew what was happening, the called it posturing, she called it the brain dying; he was in some sort of neurological distress.

Grant had him rushed to CT assuring Lisa that as soon as he knew something, she'd know something. So she did they only thing she could do, she sat back in the chair and cried. She was almost ready to let go, the human spirit could only take so much and damn it if her's wasn't as close to shattering as possible. She placed her hand on her swollen belly trying to draw strength and peace of mind from the babies nestled under her heart. Maybe it was time thank God for what she had been blessed with, and accept that her husband was dying.

Two hours later Dr. Grant came back and told her that Greg had a slight bleed in his brain, that caused a seizure and the posturing. The plan was to treat it with medication and hope like hell surgery wouldn't be called for. They were moving him back into the room just as the head doctor was leaving, after a few more moments, Cuddy was once again alone with him. She gathered up her stuff and stood looking at him, trying to think of the right words to say.

"I know you can hear me Gregory House," she said in a voice laced with anger and frustration. "It's time for you to make up your stubborn ass mind, and decide if you want to live or die. You made me a promise and I'm calling you on it. I won't be here tomorrow, I'm giving you the whole day to decide what the fuck you're going to do, I expect your answer the following day."

Lisa didn't notice the astonished looks from the nurses as she strode out of the ICU, her head held high, her body rigid with self righteous anger.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Day six passed in the quiet and peace that only comes after you've accepted that you can and will handle anything life throws at you. Lisa had arranged for Braeden to go to the hospital with Wilson, so she slept late indulging herself. She spent an hour soaking her tired, aching body and then ordered room service. She was sticking to he guns about not seeing the bastard today, even though her heart squeezed painfully each time the phone rang. She told everyone that called that she didn't want any progress reports on Greg, she'd get all her answers tomorrow and that would have to be soon enough for her.

Greg was stubborn, hence the reason he hadn't just let go and die. But as stubborn as he was he hated ultimatums more, and he really hated her telling him what to do. So he'd either balk and be just as she had left him, or he'd rally wake up and give her a piece of his mind. Either way she was ready to accept, and to prove it to herself she began making plans to return to Jersey.

The first phone call was the hardest, but once made and air travel confirmed the rest of the calls became easier. She made several contingency plans that included contacting a rehabilitation center, as well as long care treatment facilities. She had to think through financial matters and that would mean finding out exactly what Greg was worth, they'd need money to provide him the best care, although she could stick him in her own hospital and not pay a dime, and the battle with the board of directors would be well worth it; and quite satisfying for sure.

Lisa carefully picked out her outfit for her visit to the hospital. She had spent the last week in jeans, sweaters, the occasional sweat pants and t-shirts, that would end today. She pulled the black sheath dress from the hotel closet looking it over once for wrinkles; it had none. Reaching back in she grabbed the red coat with matching black buttons that went with the dress. She had always felt powerful in her suits, but tomorrow called for something more, more of the woman and less of the executive. She grabbed the box that contained the gorgeous red heels that matched the coat.

She had everything she needed to make Greg sit up and take notice, he could never resist her when she was dressed to kill. Lisa smiled at the thought and hoped that her appearance wouldn't cause his heart to race and have him fall over dead. She decided to call the concierge to arrange to have her hair and nails done. He convinced her to go for the whole treatment and get a pedicure and massage as well.

She spent four glorious hours that hotel's day spa being treated like a queen. She was soaked, rubbed and pampered in ways that made her skin sing, and had the tension leaving her body. She had her nails and toe nails painted red to match the coat she'd being wearing, and her hair was artfully done. She didn't bother with make up consult that came with the facial, she was an expert on making up her own face.

It was late after she finally left the spa and headed up to her rooms. She wasn't surprised to find her son and her head of Oncology spread across the floor playing video games, she didn't even want to think about where they had gotten a system from. She suggested that they go out for pizza, and the two agreed like happy puppies.

The rest of her evening was relaxing, spent in the company of family and good friends. It was everything she needed to face the next day. She was only moderately encouraged that there had been no call from the hospital the whole day informing her that Greg had passed, but then again he was a stubborn ass and he'd wait until it was after midnight, firmly into the next day. Lisa put thoughts of him from her mind as she got ready for bed. Braeden had passed out a few hours ago, and she had to ask Wilson to carry him into his room. She had stood over him for a few minutes looking at her son that looked so much like her husband. She'd have him, she'd always have him. After only a few more moments she too was passed out in her bed.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Day seven dawned in a glorious riot of colors, streaking the Chicago sky in hues of orange, red and yellow. Lisa got up early and took extra care getting ready. Her heart was hammering in her rib cage, and she couldn't stop herself from trembling. She couldn't believe she was nervous, like a teenage girl going on her first date with her high school crush. Looking at her swollen belly, she knew she was a long ways away from that teenage girl.

She wanted to skip breakfast as her stomach was doing cartwheels and she feared that anything she put down there would just make a return visit later. But she knew that if she didn't eat something she'd probably pass out, and wouldn't that make a pleasant sight at her husband's sick bed. Greg would probably find it vastly amusing, the evil wretched critter.

Lisa downed some orange juice and nibbled a piece of dry toast as she walked to the hospital. It was only a two block walk and shouldn't have taken more than 15 minutes for her to get there, but some how she managed to stretch it into an hour. She was nervous and she really didn't know why, it wasn't like he was going to be sitting up and accusing her with those blue eyes. So quit stalling Lisa Cuddy and move your ass, you can deal with one overly obnoxious diagnostician, especially if he's still comatose.

She strode into the hospital every inch the confident Dean of Medicine, people turned to openly stare at the beautiful woman in the red coat as she crossed the lobby to the elevators. Men gave her looks of interest and openly perused her as she walked past them, even some women couldn't help glancing or staring in her direction. It made her feel good, and gave her flagging confidence a serious kick in the ass.

Getting off on the ICU floor, Lisa felt the butterflies begin their frantic dance, or maybe that was her babies letting her know they weren't putting up with any of her crap where their father was concerned. Little spawns of satan, already deeply entrenched on his side, that's ok she thought, she could handle all of them single handedly. They had no idea who they were messing with, just call her big momma, and she had her shit kicking shoes on.

Lisa noticed that the nurses avoided looking at her as she made her way down the hall. It was enough for her to stop and ponder what was wrong. No one even glanced at her as she stood stock still in the hall, and that made her pulse race and the blood thunder in her ears. She quickly pulled out her cell phone to see if she had missed any calls, but there was nothing on her display and she had no new voice mails. Why was everyone avoiding eye contact with her? They only did that when there was something they didn't want to tell you.

Oh God! The thought screamed through her brain, he died; Greg had finally given up and kicked the proverbial bucket. Lisa felt the tears begin to sting in the back of her eyes and she felt the strength begin to leave her body. She had been so full of bluster that she could handle this, and she was wrong, she was so wrong; she couldn't live without, didn't even want to try.

"Lisa you need to come with me," she heard Burke say. It took her several moments to blink back the tears and focus on his face. She searched his eyes to find something, anything to give her hope, but he looked solemn, grave even and she felt the tears rush back in.

"I need to see him," she stuttered. "I have to see him."

"Of course you do, I'd expect nothing less," he said as he gently began to guide her down the hall.

"When di..when did... it happen," she could barely stammer the words out, and tears blinded her as the moved down the hall.

"About an hour ago," he replied taking a firm grip on her arm. She was going need all the support she could get, and he was afraid that the next few minutes would push her into premature labor. "His nurse was going to call you, but I felt it would be better to wait until you got her, it's not something you needed to hear over the phone.

They stopped just outside of the room. The curtain had been pulled closed to prevent curious eyes from staring inside, and Cuddy had to fight for control. She wasn't sure that she could walk in that room and see him. She sounded so brave, but she wasn't sure she could do it. Burke placed a hand lightly at her elbow, offering his silent support. She nodded her head once and slowly followed him into the room.

The first thing that struck her was the lack of gentle whooshing from the respirator. It sat turned off with tubing piled on top of it, the staff probably thought she'd feel better seeing him unattached to the damn machine. At first she thought the other monitors had simply been muted, but she realized they had been turned off and the finality of it hit her hard. He was gone, the bastard had left her. There was no preventing the tears and before she could stop herself she turned into Burke's arms.

He made soothing noise and tried to stop the storm that was threatening to overwhelm her. He gently rubbed her back hoping the crying would subside and he could explain everything to her.

"Lisa, calm down," Burke said gently. She pulled away from him, dried her eyes and set her shoulders. She was resolved and made her way to the head of the bed, she needed to tell him even though he was gone, she needed him to know.

She leaned down so that she was close to his ear, so that wherever he had gone, he'd still be able to hear her. "I love you, always will, and by God I'm going to miss you. The babies, I want you to know about the babies, I wish you had been there when I found out, but there are no do overs. I don't know how you did it, maybe you're just a lucky bastard, but all three are boys. I guess no girls for you. Although there are still several more eggs, I'm bound to pick a girl later if that's what I want." She chuckled inwardly at that, she could still have a little girl later if she wanted, Gregory House deserved a daughter, even of he was there to see it.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as she felt a rough hand land on her stomach. Her head snapped up to stare into a pair of pain filled yet amused blue eyes. He was struggling to say something, and she was struggling not to pass out from the shock.

"Told...told you...boys...all boys," he grinned and his blue eyes slowly closed, his hand still resting possessively against her belly.

**A/N: Couldn't help myself. I hope I didn't scare the pee out of any one. Please hit that review button and let me know what you think. I'm begging here guys, think og it as a early Christmas present, and it free. I am so cheap.**


	23. Chapter 23: Dr HouseDr Who?

**A/N: This chapter is not as long as some others, and it is mostly light with some bantering between our favorite couple.. There are a few little surprises, especially for Greg. I wasn't able to proof it, wanted to get it up tonight so please excuse any mistakes.**

**I want to really thank all of you for your reviews. This is a heart felt thank you. Every single review makes me smile and knowing that so many people like this story and are compelled to leave a review is very touching. Please continue to do so and I will continue to enjoy all of your input. So please enjoy this latest chapter! **

Chapter 23: Dr. House..Dr. Who?

"Greg," Lisa said in a surprised whisper.

She leaned back and took a good look at her husband. He was laying flat on his back, his skin tone still more gray than anything else. She could barely detect the slight rise and fall of his chest, but if you looked close you'd see the steady rhythm, a little labored but there none the less. He was still covered in bruises, even though most of them had faded to yellows, instead of the black and purple from just a few days ago. She could see now that the chest tube was still in place, still doing it's job. His left arm was in a brace, he hadn't broken it, but he had bruised it enough that they wanted to keep it stabilized for a few days. All in all, he looked like death warmed over, but he was alive and damn if she didn't love him for it.

"Gregory," Lisa said again, a little more forcibly.

"Shhh...Greg's sleeping." It came out whisper light and slurred, but still understandable. Lisa chocked back a grin, and nudged his shoulder just a little.

"Gregory House, open your damn eyes right this minute," she said in her most authoritative voice. She should have known that it wouldn't work on him, it never had before, why should now be any different.

"No, it hurts," came his petulant reply. "Go away now Lisa. I did what you demanded, let me sleep," he replied and had the audacity to snuggle further down into the bed. All Lisa could do was stare at him open mouthed.

"Come on Lisa," Burke said propelling her out of the room. "Let him get some rest, Lord knows he's going to need it."

"What happened Burke, I thought he was dead," Lisa said. A thousand different feelings were overwhelming her all at once and she felt everything begin to spin crazily. Burke must have noticed, and quickly led her to a small grouping of couches that had been set up for visitors convenience. He grabbed a small cup, filled it with ice cold water and pressed in gently into her hands.

"I thought he was gone," she whispered in that broken voice that pulled at Burke's heart. He wished that he had met this woman before the irascible Dr. House had made her his.

"I'm sorry that you thought that Lisa," he replied. "I would have spared you that pain."

"But all the machines in his room were turned off," she said in bewilderment.

"Let me start at the beginning," he said taking her hand and drawing her eyes to his. "Greg opened his eyes a little over an hour ago. He became very agitated and tried to take the breathing tube out, so we extubated him as quickly as possible. If he hadn't been able to breathe on his own, I was going to sedate him so that I could put the tube back in, but he surprised us and was doing fine all by himself."

"He was in a lot of pain, actually he probably is still in pain. We need to give him much higher doses of pain medication, because of the history with his leg. We were about to move him when you came in. We're only moving him to the other side of ICU, it's a kind of step down unit, but we need the bed. There was a 12 car pile up and we got six critical heading up to the ICU."

"Is he...is he going to pull through this?" She asked needing reassurance. She was a doctor, but right now she was the wife of a man who was critically injured and had spent the last week in a come.

"Lisa, you know he's still not out of the woods yet," Burke said going for straight honesty. "There's a strong possibility that he will have to go back on dialysis, his kidneys took a pretty hard hit and their sluggish at best. He's suffered a lot of trauma, including trauma to his head and brain. But I will say this, you told him one week, and damn if he didn't disappoint you. No one thought that he'd actually wake up today simply because you told him to. I still won't go on the record and say I believe it happened because you wanted it to, but it did happen. He also recognizes you, and is cognizant of his surroundings, those are both good signs."

"You know he's a stubborn ass," Lisa said tears still openly streaming down her face. "He could just be doing this to spite me, decide tomorrow to thumb his nose at me and drop dead."

"I see the two of you have a wonderful relationship," Burke said dryly. "He's a lucky man to have you."

"Actually he'd see me as the lucky one to have snagged him," Lisa said with a wry smile. Truth be told she felt like the lucky one, he was all she had ever wanted and she'd despaired that it would never happen.

"I need to contact my family, let them know what's going on," she said toying with her cell phone.

"I'm sure they are going to be elated that he's improving," Burke said standing and holding out a hand to help her up. "I've ordered some test to be done, and paged Dr. Grant for another consult. He'll probably want to run another MRI, and definitely talk to Greg the next time he opens those eyes."

"It's going to be a long, hard road Lisa, but I think Greg's going to pull through this," Burke said trying to give the reassurance he knew she needed. "He seems like on tough son of a bitch."

"You have no idea," Lisa said with a chuckle as she watched the doctor walk down the hall. She flipped open her phone and made the first of many calls.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Greg tried to pretend to be sleep when Lisa walked into the room. He wasn't too far off the mark, the drugs they were giving him made him feel woozy and a little stupid. All in all it was a good feeling. But the mere presence of the woman now standing in his doorway made every part of him want to snap to attention. She had been a pain the last couple of days, riding his ass hard, making all kinds of demands of him. As if she was the dominant one in their relationship, he'd have to disabuse her of that notion quickly, well as soon as the pain ebbed a little and the drugs didn't make his tongue fell so heavy.

"I know you're not sleeping Greg," Lisa said moving closer to his bed.

She had taken the better part of four hours to call both their families, meet with his full team of doctors and pour over his chart. Lisa had played the wife while he was comatose, but now that he had decided to wake his delectable ass up, she was in full doctor mode. He could have his wife back once he was released from the hospital and they were on they're way back to Jersey.

"Greg still tired," he said in that slurred voice again.

"Greg's been slurping too much on the happy juice," Lisa replied getting into his face.

He could feel the slight brush of her lips against his cheek, but when he tried to move his head to capture her lips, she pulled back and sniggered.

"I'm sure you're not ready for all that," she said settling into the chair by his bed.

"You'd think a guy whose been out of it could get a little kiss from his wife," he said petulantly. "But I'm sure one of the nurses will pony up if I turn on the charm."

"If you even think about it Gregory House, what that dump truck did to you will be a picnic compared to what I will do," she replied to his bravado.

"Don't remember no dump truck," Greg said trying to open his eyes. Damn if the effort didn't almost kill him.

"Keep them closed Greg, there's nothing here for you to see anyway," Lisa said noticing the effort it was taking for him to try to pry his lids open. "You don't remember the accident?"

"There was an accident?" He asked in a voice heavy with exhaustion.

"Yes Greg, you were involved in an accident," she replied trying to figure out how to tell him what had happened, how much he was able to handle at this point.

"Tell me," he whispered breaking into her jumbled thoughts. "Tell me how bad."

"You were heading to the airport when a dump truck ran through a stop sign and broad-sided the car," she told him. She reached for his hand, needing the contact as the images of the small car he had been riding in flashed through her mind.

"Why...why was I going to the airport?" He asked confusion evident on his face.

Lisa knew that many people hurt in serious car accidents couldn't remember the actual event, and with Greg's head injury it wasn't unheard of for him to being missing months of events leading up to the accident. She just needed to keep a grip while she figured out how far back his memory might be effected. He obviously remembered who she was, that she was pregnant and they were married, but how far back did his memory extend?

"Maybe we should pick this up later, after you've gotten some rest," she said.

"Don't treat me like a brainless twit," he said scowling. She thought he was going for ferocious, but with his eyes squeezed shut he only managed to pull off a slightly pained expression.

"Perhaps not brainless, but definitely a twit," she replied. She glanced over at his face and noticed that his eyes were open and focused on her face. The intensity in his blue gaze held her riveted and she fought against the desire that was building within her. She felt guilty, he had been in a coma, was critically injured and all she could think about was getting her hands in his pants.

"I still want you too," he said in that slurred, sleepy voice.

"Afterall I'm not dead, and God woman you're hot." He gave her a wolfish grin, then let his eyes flutter closed, only to snap them back open. It was taking so much effort for him to stay awake, but he was just not ready to let the sight of her go.

"Dead you may not be, but you are in no shape for a little slap and tickle," she reminded him. "I can't even believe we're talking about this right now."

"So stop talking and get in bed with me," he invited.

"Greg, you're about to pass out, there's no way I'm giving into any fantasies playing in that warped head of yours," she replied looking sternly at him. He knew she was right and that he wouldn't be able to hold onto consciousness much longer, but he did so enjoy taunting and teasing her.

"You've gotten distracted woman," he said closing his eyes again. "We were talking about the airport. If I was heading to the airport, where are we?"

"We're in Chicago." She answered him.

"Chicago?" He asked in that slurred voice again. "Were we here to see Mike?"

"We didn't come to Chicago together," she said realizing that his memory block extended pass his entire trip to Chicago. She watched as he frowned, trying to piece together something that made sense to him.

"Greg don't try to push," she said lightly touching his hand. She wasn't surprised when he linked the hands together and tried to pull he to the bed with him. "You're not strong enough to accomplish your goal Gregory House."

"I'm trying for a new form of therapy," he cajoled, trying to open his eyes again. Lisa stroked the side of his face, silently trying to convince him to just relax.

"It will come back to you or it won't," she said soothingly to him. "You know it's not unusual to suffer blocks on your memory after a traumatic accident."

"There's a lot more you're not telling me." Lisa watched as he tried to pout, but it ended more like a grimace.

"Yes Greg, there is," she acknowledged. "I'd rather that some of this wait until your better, stronger, more able to deal with everything that happened."

"That's your way of saying some heavy shit happened, and you don't think I can be mature about it," he said finally getting his eyes opened. It felt like so an herculean effort that he believed he was entitled to some kin of prize.

"No, more like I think it will hit you hard and instead of trying to deal with it, you'll hide behind sarcasm, razor sharp wit that you'll stab others with to mask your own pain," she challenged him.

"Who died?" He asked her with his unwavering blue gaze. "Did I drag Wilson with me? Is he dead?" Lisa heard the slight fear hidden behind the show of bravado. He heart ached for him and the fact that he was scared that he'd so how managed to kill his best friend.

"No," she said jumping from the chair to b closer to him. She wanted to sit on the edge of the bed, but was afraid that it would cause him too much pain.

"Wilson's fine; he was never in Chicago with you. You came alone, to consult with Mike about something," she rushed it all out.

"Then who Lisa, tell me what happened," he damn near begged. Guilt racked at him and it wasn't something he wanted her to see, it wasn't for her to deal with.

"The gentleman who was driving the truck that hit you; he had a massive heart attack, ran the stop sign and plowed into the car causing it to flip several times," she recited the story to him in dry monotone voice. "He was probably dead before he even hit the car. Vincent was wearing a seat belt, but it's believed that it snapped at some point and he was ejected from the car. He was crushed under the car and died at the scene."

Lisa saw what little color there was drain from his face, leaving him a sick pale grey color that couldn't ever be described as healthy. He looked worse that some corpses she had seen, and she fear that he was going to slip back into a coma, wether to hide from the reality of the situation, she couldn't be sure.

"He was just a kid," Greg said letting the horror of the event play out in his mind. A memory tugged at the back of his brain, and he concentrated hard trying to remove the void that prevented him from accessing it.

"Stop it, you'll just make yourself sick," Lisa chided brushing her fingers over his wrinkled brow. "You can't make it come back, probably better that you don't anyway. You remember the important stuff, like me, the babies, your friends; the rest was just details."

"How bad am I hurt?" He asked fearing the worst. He felt pain over almost his whole body, so he knew he guessed he hadn't suffered any injury that would have left him paralyzed. In fact his right leg hurt so bad, it almost made him want to gnaw it off with his teeth.

"Several internal damage, that required the removal of your spleen and gallbladder. There was bleeding in your small intestines and liver. The damage to your kidneys has required dialysis. You broke several ribs, the right lung was punctured and collapsed, causing the need for the chest tube. Fractured your skull, some swelling and a large bruise on your brain that caused the neurosurgeons some concern. All in all, just a walk through the park for you."

Greg looked at her in astonishment. It was a wonder he hadn't died on the scene, and after her recitation, he felt that he should have. But looking at her, already swollen with his babies he knew he had some powerful incentive to stay alive. But she hadn't mentioned any trauma to his leg, and damn if that didn't hurt more than any of the other injuries combined.

"What about the leg Lisa?" He asked causing her eyes to fly back to his face.

"What do you mean?" She asked not sure where he was heading with that question.

"It hurts like a bitch, but you didn't mention anything about it," he said staring hard at her.

"It's the same as it was," she replied. "None of the doctors said anything about any damage."

"But it HURTS!!" He damn neared bellow. His voice was still dry from the breathing tube, so it hurt to talk much less alone yell to convey the level of pain that he was in. Lisa looked at him confused and just a little angry.

"Of course it hurts House," she snapped feeling her temper fray just a bit. "It ALWAYS hurt."

"What do you mean always?"

"Greg, you know Stacy and I did the best we could," she said not wanting to get into this with him. She was tired, she knew he was tired and they both didn't need to get themselves worked up about something that couldn't be changed.

"Who the fuck it Stacy?" He asked getting seriously pissed off.

Now Lisa looked at him in growing horror. She knew that he wasn't suffering from amnesia, if he was he wouldn't know who she was, hell he wouldn't know who he was. And blocking out the accident, the few days that led up to it, that was common enough. But blocking out major events and people, that was a little more than she could handle, especially if one of those things was the infarction. She could deal with him permanently forgetting about Stacy, hell she'd help make sure of that. Before she could open her mouth to even begin an explanation, Dr. Grant walked in.

"Well Dr. House, it's good to see you're awake. You gave a lot of people a nasty fright," the neurologist said moving into the room and stopping by Greg's bedside.

"That's Dr. House," Greg said pointing angrily to Lisa. "I'm just her adoring sex slave."

**A/N: OK...let me know what you really think!! This chapter has left me feeling a little uncertain and I could really use some insight. I hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know...hit that button on your way out.**


	24. Chapter 24: Beating The Dead Horse

**A/N: Greetings everyone!! This chapter is shorter than I originally planned, but I decided to make the second part of this into it's own chapter. This chapter may be considered heavy and a tear jerker by some, and it may get worse before it gets better, but I hope you all continue to enjoy. As always THANK YOU so much for your reviews. You guys have lavished so much praise that it makes me giddy, and I don't mind being giddy. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!!**

Chapter 24: Beating the Dead Horse

"Dr. Cuddy, let's sit down and talk," Dr. Grant said as he exited from Gregory House's room.

Lisa took a good look at the doctor and had to smile. He looked harried, as if he had just fought a 10 round match that he lost by decision, she knew how that felt, anyone who went toe to toe with Greg knew how Dr. Grant was feeling. Burke joined them as they made their way back to a small lounge that would give them some limited amount of privacy. After a moment of everyone getting settled, Dr. Grant turned and looked at Lisa.

"Dr. House is suffering...," he began before she interrupted him.

"Dr. House?" Lisa asked a bit puzzled. She hadn't been certain of what Greg had forgotten, or what he was playing around with. She saw the small smile that briefly graced the younger man's mouth and the slight shake of his head, almost as if he was remembering some part of his conversation with Greg.

"Yes, Dr. House," he affirmed looking her directly in the eyes. "He is very much aware that he is a doctor, and to quote him, _"A damned good one at that, with no equal." _ I'm thinking that by that point in your conversation with him, he was feeling a little frustrated and wanted to give back some of what he was getting."

"Just like the bastard," she muttered.

"But in all seriousness, Dr. House is suffering from a type of memory loss called lacunar amnesia," he stated.

"So he isn't just bull shitting about his leg and not knowing Stacy?" Lisa asked in some amazement. She thought for sure that Greg had been playing at some sort of game, it was something that was definitely in character for him.

"Lacunar amnesia is the loss of memory concerning one specific event," Grant explained warming up to the subject. "The memory is gone, like it never existed, and much of the details surrounding the event are also deleted in a person's memory, hence the reason he doesn't seem to remember this Stacy individual."

"But he was with Stacy for years before the incident with his leg," Lisa countered.

"Well to his mind, Stacy must have been very much tied to what he associates with his leg," Grant explained.

"Then I too should be tied to that memory," Lisa replied.

"You must have a much broader impact on Dr. House's life," Grant assured her. "You play a larger role in his mind, therefore in his memories than just this one event. For some reason he has tied Stacy to this one event, regardless of any other influences she may have had."

"Will the memory eventually return?" Lisa asked feeling somewhat sick. She had no desire to revisit the details that led to Greg's painful disability. Her own guilt in the situation had eaten at her for years, and had very much stood the way between herself and Greg. Time had managed to ease her conscious and Greg's bitterness; now that had all been erased.

"It may, and it could just as easily never come back," Grant said with a shrug. "But it's important that the details be filled in as accurately as possible, it's easy to try to gloss over the less pleasant details in hopes of sparing the individual some pain."

"This was a painful event for everyone involved and even to this day the effects of the infarction ripple through our lives," she stated. "It devastated Greg both physically, as well as emotionally. It ripped his relationship with Stacy to shreds, and drove a wedge between the two of us. Exactly how accurate and objective do you think I can be in reconstructing these memories for him?"

Lisa was agitated, so much so that she jumped up from the chair and began to pace the small lounge, reminding both men of a trapped and dangerous lioness. The two doctors looked to each for help and finding none, tried for silence while Lisa ranted and mumbled.

"Can I have some one else do this?" She asked almost plaintively.

"Lisa, he's waiting to get the details from you, from you specifically. He trust you, and the love he has for you is absolute." Grant chuckled at the look on her face of skepticism. "Any idiot can see how he feels about you, but he needs, wants to hear this from you. And you can't down play any role you had in this, not only could it come back to bite you, but it would devastate any progress the two of you have made."

"You could have just said no, it has to be you," she snapped sarcastically. Burke chuckled at the disgruntled look on her face, but he bit it back when she turned her ferocious gaze on him.

"How soon does this need to be done?" She asked. "And why can't Stacy do this again? He already pushed her out of his life, she doesn't have anything to lose."

"Lisa it really is up to you," Grant began. "You could have her explain what happened, from what I am gathering she played a very significant role in this event, but then so did you. Maybe why he blocked it out has less to do with her and more to do with your involvement in this aspect of his life."

"Great," she exclaimed throwing her hands up in the air. "As if we haven't beat this horse to hell and back."

"I can come with you, or you can call in his friends and family to offer you moral support," Grant offered. "It may go easier on both of you if there is a buffer there."

"There was no buffer almost nine years ago, no since introducing one now," she sighed. Actually if she thought about it she had been the buffer between House and Stacy, and as far as she was concerned she hadn't survived it all that well, and neither had Stacy.

"Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me," Lisa said gathering her coat and striding determinedly towards the door. "I have a dead horse to beat." They watched as she squared her shoulders, took a deep breath and walked down the hallway.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa believed that some things should only have to be endured once in a lifetime. Dealing with Greg about the infarction was definitely at the top of her list, followed or preceded only by his feelings for Stacy. Now she was going to have to deal with both at the same time; and didn't that just sound like fun.

She stopped outside the door to his room and prayed for strength, a little divine intervention never hurt. She could face down the board of directors, overbearing donors and pretentious doctors, so dealing with her husband shouldn't be too difficult. Yeah right, who the hell was she trying to fool, no one _dealt _with Greg House.

Knowing that she couldn't put it off indefinitely, despite what the voice in the back of her head was saying, Lisa opened the door and stepped into the darkened room. She allowed the door to close on it's own as she took in what appeared to be a sleeping Greg. God was indeed good, divine intervention had him sleeping; probably the effects of some good drugs. She would just slip out and come back later.

"Don't even think about leaving Lisa," she heard the sleepy mumble from the bed.

Damn and blast! She should have known that she it wouldn't have been that easy, the bastard had all the luck in the world, so much so that there was none leftover for her. Lisa slowly crossed over to the bed, sitting down in the chair that had been pulled along side it. Someone had raised the bed so that Greg was in an upright position, and she took note that the chest tube had also been removed. He was improving, slowly but surely.

"Are you comfortable?" She asked looking at him with concern evident on her face. She remembered the first days after he became aware of what they had done, and how the pain ripped at him.

"Now that's an interesting question," he replied locking his blue eyes onto her. He had turned the light over the bed on, but kept the setting low.

"Greg, I know how much your leg hurts you, I'm just hoping that they have managed to give you something to take the worse of the pain away," Lisa said in a small voice.

"Well at the moment you have more knowledge about the subject than I do," he quipped.

"Greg..,"

"How about you just fill in the details for me," he interrupted her.

Lisa took a moment to take a really good look at him. She could see that he was tense, his body held rigidly. She wasn't sure if that was due to pain or him trying to exert control over the rest of his body. His face was bland, not quite devoid of all emotion, but close enough to have her heart hammering against her rib cage.

"You had an aneurysm in your thigh that went undiagnosed," Lisa began.

"How did it manage to go undiagnosed?" Greg asked.

"The doctors thought you were using excruciating pain to get drugs," she replied simply.

"Well now that just sucks," he said in his sarcastic voice.

"The aneurysm in your thigh clotted, leading to the infarction and causing the quadriceps muscle to become necrotic," Lisa stated. She kept her voice devoid of any emotion, any small nuances, trying for clinical detachment. It wasn't working as well as she hoped.

"So I'm thinking that I had a really bright idea to preserve the function of my leg, but the possible side effects scared some one off," he quipped.

"Well if you consider death a little side effect, then yeah," Lisa responded her voice raising. She tried to reign her temper in check and just get through the fact portion of their conversation. "Your brilliant idea was to bypass the dead muscle in hopes of restoring circulation to the rest of your leg.."

"Hoping to avoid amputation and retain full use of the leg," he finished grinning to himself. "Brilliant if I say so myself."

"Yes, but risking cardiac arrest and organ failure," she retorted.

"Big risk, big payoff," he said with a shrug. She stared at him open mouthed at a loss for words.

"Some times I forget how much of a jerk you can be," she mumbled dropping her eyes from his face. "But I digress. Once you were in the coma, Stacy decided.."

"Now we get to Stacy," he said looking at her quizzically. "I'm having a hard time placing her."

"Damn it House," Lisa all but thundered. "Stacy is a lawyer that you spent the better part of five years with. She nailed your ass at a paint ball competition, and I'm sure your ego just couldn't let her get away with it. She decided that the little side effects of your brilliant idea were more than she was willing to gamble with, so she opted for a safer middle ground. Remove the dead muscle, leave you partial use of your leg, and a smaller degree of pain."

"Great trade off," he said in a deadpan tone. "But not what I wanted, and YOU just let her do this." It was not a question. It obviously didn't need to be one as he was crippled thus meaning the outcome hadn't been the one he hoped for.

"Greg, you think I had a choice?" Lisa asked in an exasperated voice.

"Damn it Lisa, I've trusted you for more years than I can count," he all but shouted. She could tell that he was getting fatigued and she wanted this to be over so he would get some rest. "We had a child together by this time, there's no way in hell I would trust some one else's judgement ahead of your's."

"Well Greg, you did," she said fire flashing in her blue eyes. "You were with Stacy during this time and had been for years. You gave her the right to make decisions, including medical decisions on your behalf."

"And when I was unable to object, she made the decision to cripple me for life," Greg stated. "And you just let her."

"I had no right to contradict her," she snapped. "YOU gave her the right, you made the decision to trust her, there was little to nothing that I could do."

"You could have stalled her," he snapped back. "You knew what I wanted, you could have tied her up long enough in legalities to give my idea a chance. Instead you let her make the decision to rip out a piece of my leg and leave dependent on some crutch. Why in the hell did you do that?"

His eyes were blazing blue fire of their own. Lisa was concerned as his breathing was labored and he was trembling with each breath. His body was nowhere near ready for this kind of confrontation and she was ready to throw the towel in when she saw understanding dawn in his eyes. She watched as he raced along a path of thought and knew the moment her had come to his final conclusion.

"You let her do it, you let her make the decision so you didn't have to," he said in a flat voice. "In some small way, you probably encouraged it. She would have come and asked if there was another way if it hadn't already been thrown out there as an option. She would have asked you to do it, she would have picked up on how much I trusted you."

"I would have taken you alive and crippled, instead of dead and whole," Lisa said tears evident in her eyes.

"At least one of us got what we wanted," he said, no emotion in his voice.

Lisa looked at his face and what she saw there chilled her to the bone. It was the same expression that Stacy had been faced with when Greg had learned of her decision. He looked straight through her, as if she wasn't there, as if she already no longer existed for him. That wasn't something she could bear right now. She placed a hand on her stomach, silently drawing strength for the babies nestled within. They could get through this, they would get through this, even if it killed her.

"Greg, you learned to deal with this once, even if you've never accepted...," she started.

"I think it would be best for you to leave and let me muddle through this," he said closing his eyes and effectively closing her out.

Lisa felt her heart freeze in her chest and the ensuing cold spread throughout her body. He was shutting her out, trying to assign blame and hurt someone as much as he had been hurt. He hadn't been able to forgive Stacy, and en lieu of her absence, Lisa would have be the new punching bag.

"I'm not going to just walk out that door and let you punish me for something that has been over and done with for almost the pass nine years," she replied anger rising up within her.

"It may have been nine years ago that the actual event took place, but for me it became a reality a little over 3 hours ago," he retorted never once opening his eyes. "So I'd like some time, alone."

Lisa stood up from the chair and made her way to the door. She was still loath to leave him alone to deal with this, but maybe it was the best thing for all involved. They could each take time to come to terms with this again, and then regroup to figure out how they were going to deal with it.

"I'll be...I'll be at the hotel if you should need me for anything,' she said when she had gotten to the door. It was taking all her willpower not to turn around and take another look at him, but she knew if she did the tears she was barely holding back would burst forth.

"I'd like to see _my _son," he told her in that cold flat voice that she had become so familiar with after the infarction. "If you could arrange for some one to bring him by later, I'd appreciate it."

Lisa shook her head silently, it didn't matter if he saw or not. He had already effectively shut her out. She was no longer any more important than a stranger he'd pass on the street. Lisa no longer tried to hide the tears as she strode out of the ICU, and people she passed in the corridors and elevators gave her looks of sympathy, looks they gave to a person who had lost someone they loved. He wasn't dead, but from the way he had looked at her, she might as well be.

**A/N: I really do want to know what you all think about this late chapter!! I'm even willing to take some beatings for how emotional this turned out. It almost had me in tears. So please hit the review button before you go. **


	25. Chapter 25: Memories No More

A/N: I really apologize for the very long delay. It has not been the best of years for me and my family, but we keep plunging on. So here is Chapter 25, a little bit of fluffiness, and not at all heavy on the seriousness. Saying that I must confess that the next few chapters may be heavy on the angst. I'm going for maybe five more chapters, and I have a few endings in mind. I warn you now that one of those endings maybe bittersweet, but we'll think about that later.

Also thank you all once again for the many reviews. We are really close to the 300 mark, and that just gives me the warmest fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach. So please keep telling me what you think.

Chapter 25: Memories No More

Dr. Gregory House laid in a hospital bed desperately trying to access memories that longer existed in his brain. There was no _black void _that was sitting just out of his reach, waiting for the right combination of events to take place so that he could remember. He had no past emotions running just under the surface that could begin to help him understand something that happened nine years ago. For him it was gone, no for him it had never existed, he woke up one day and was crippled.

He knew that his family was frustrated with him, thinking him insensitive of how he had lashed out at Lisa, how he tormented everyone and how he drew into himself leaving them all on the outside. Greg hadn't even begun to think about what would need to happen for him to learn to walk again, something else his family had failed to realize. For him there was no memory of how to use a cane, how to distribute his weight so that he didn't fall on his face, or how to manage with just one hand because the other was too busy holding a piece of wood. And damn it, there was no memory of how to deal with a pain that roared through him, causing all coherent thought to be swallowed in the wake of his silent screaming.

He tried to turn his attention to a woman he couldn't even bring to his mind's eye, hoping to spark something, anything. Wilson had described Stacy to him, and filled him in on the role that she had played in his life, but she didn't exist for him, not a face, a smile, nothing. There had never been anyone from the very moment he had met Lisa, no other woman had captured his attention so completely. So for him to not remember any other woman but her seemed appropriate to him, she was all that existed to him.

The drugs the doctors were giving him made him sleepy, and stupid; it was a feeling he abhorred and it was rapidly grating on his already, stretched to the limit nerves. He knew his body needed to heal, and that he was in a lot of pain, but he needed to think, he wasn't even close to happy if he couldn't let his brain go to work. He knew that Wilson had told the doctors that he was using viocdin to control the pain in his leg, but because of the damage to his kidneys, they were loath to give it to him just now. That was just great for them and his kidneys, but it still left Greg feeling stupid.

He was pulled forcibly from his meandering thoughts when the door to his room was violently shoved opened and banged against the wall. Greg's head snapped up as he watched a dark haired woman, dressed in a power suit and killer heels that would rival anything his wife would wear stalk in. He watched as she swept into the room as if she owned it, throwing her coat across the chair and marching to the bed. Greg had no idea who she was, wasn't sure he wanted to know, but had a feeling he was definitely going to find out, and not in a pleasant way..

"You've eviscerated enough people over what happened to your leg, and I won't let you do it to Lisa as well," she all but snarled at him one hand on her hip, the other pointing directly at his chest. "You're a miserable bastard, but for some reason she loves you, and she makes you happy to boot; for that I won't let you stand in your own way."

"Ah, Stacy I presume," he said in a tone that he hoped was snide, but probably came off as sounding drunk, and a little stupid, of course.

He watched with a sleepy detachment as her eyes move over him, almost as if he was some unknown animal, one that was quite dangerous, and one that she had no idea what to do with. He found her aesthetically pleasing, with her long dark hair, a slender yet voluptuous build and dark green eyes that were cooly assessing him. In another time and place, he knew he would have been attracted to her, but that place had gone and the time was no longer relevant.

"You've managed to get that brain to erase memories you couldn't drown with strong alcohol and even stronger drugs," she said. Greg felt at a disadvantage laying down in the bed, while she towered over bristling like a cat who had been rubbed the wrong way.

"Which one of them called you?" He asked. He had thought that maybe seeing Stacy would help bring back some of what he forgot, or at the very least, the feelings that had also been conveniently forgotten. But none of that happened, there was no spark of recognition, no passion when he looked at the woman before him, hell his body didn't even respond as it probably should when faced with a woman he'd had a relationship with for over five years.

"I'm sure that it doesn't matter who called," she tossed out as she sat down. "Damn it House, are you going to blame and condemn Lisa for something I did to you?"

"She let you," he snapped back.

"She didn't _let _me," Stacy snarled. "How in the hell do you think she could have stopped me. It was no longer about saving your leg, but saving your life. She understood that you'd rather be dead than crippled, and if given the chance she would have stood by and let it play out that way, but I couldn't, I wouldn't"

"I trusted her," Greg replied..

"But it was me you gave the power to decide, not Lisa. Why do you think that is Greg? Why me and not her?"

"God damn it, I don't remember!" He shouted.

"Because you knew she wouldn't cave, you knew that she'd respect your wishes; even if the end result was burying your ass in a pine box," she snapped at him. "She didn't know there was a four year old at home wanting to know when daddy would be back. She didn't know that even though you were with me, you still loved her so deeply that in unguarded moments you called out her name."

"After watching you crash the second time, I made a decision that if they got your heart started again I was going to end it," she explained in a voice filled with emotion. "You were killing yourself, and destroying a woman who absolutely adored you, flaws and all. I wouldn't put her through it, I wouldn't put myself through it. You gave me the power to save your life, and that's what I did. I didn't give a rat's ass if you were left crippled and in pain, you were already both of those before I had Lisa cut into that blasted leg."

"Maybe," he said sullenly.

"There was no maybe about it you idiot," she snarled. "You think I didn't know you were desperately in love with another woman. That when you introduced me to Lisa, that you were introducing me to the mother of your child, a child you moved heaven and earth to keep."

"I'm sorry," he said in a small voice that was so unlike the Greg she knew.

"I'm not asking you to be sorry, nor do I need or want your pity," she began before he interrupted her.

"That's not what I'm sorry about," he said. "I'm sorry that I don't remember, that I don't have the images and emotions to go with it. That I don't have the memories of you, of that time."

"Maybe you'll remember in time Greg, maybe not, either way you have to deal with this," Stacy said standing up and sitting on the edge of his bed. For the first time since she had walked in, Greg got a sense of something more, something heavy and tinged with bitterness. Whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it had sprang up.

"I took a gamble with the decision that I made. A lot of people thought I lost, but I never saw it that way, I saw it as finally being able to let you go. You may have loved me, may have wanted me, but you never needed me. You've always needed Lisa. If you remember anything, remember this; she got you through this once, let her help you through this again."

Stacy leaned over, lightly kissed him and tenderly cupped his cheek A soft look in her eyes told him that somehow she had forgiven him for forgetting her, and that it was probably for the best.

"I just wish for your happiness," she told him as she stood up and grabbed her coat. "You have that with Lisa, don't _forget_it, or squander it away with bitterness and regret."

"Tell me at least that you're happy," he said as she headed for the door. "That you found a measure of something that brings you joy."

"That you didn't kill my capacity to find love in another man?" She asked smiling at him mischievously. "Yes House, I'm happy. I don't regret the time we had together, I may regret some of the things that happened during those times, but not the actual time itself. So do me a favor, take care of you."

He nodded once as she walked out of the room, head high and silent tears she struggled to hide from prying eyes He still didn't remember her, he could see himself with her in another life, one in which he hadn't met Lisa first. He was still angry, still swamped with bitterness, and still felt a betrayal that cut him to the bone; but all those things paled in comparison with what he felt for his wife. Greg leaned back into his pillow, letting his mind drift and allowing the drugs to pull him into the sweet oblivion of sleep. His last thought before tumbling into the blackness, was that he would call his wife when he woke up; it was past time that he told her he loved her, wanted her, needed her.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Lisa sat in a lounge on the other side of the ICU, far enough from Greg's room so that she could ponder what she had seen in peace. She had been stunned when she heard Stacy's voice, and equally as stunned when she had seen the two of them sitting close, Stacy's lips brushing gently against Greg's. She decided she didn't want to see or hear anymore, and retreated to a safe location to think.

It had been two weeks since Greg had woken from his coma and all hell had broken loose. He had been almost unbearable, lashing out, ignoring them and at times just down right mean. He had made it obvious in the beginning that he didn't want to see her, and at first she stubbornly refused him, visiting everyday. But it hadn't taken long for his insensitive demeanor directed primarily at her to drive her away. She avoided coming to see him when he was awake, slipping into his room once she was assured that he was asleep.

That was going to have to change soon, either they were going to move past this point, or this was where they would end. Neither would be able to survive much more of this. Maybe she should ask Stacy at what point had it been too much, at what point had she known it was time to go.

No, she wasn't a coward and she couldn't say that Stacy had been either all those years ago. She now understood some of what the other woman must have felt, what she must have gone through. Lisa couldn't blame her for trying to preserve a measure of herself by leaving Greg and letting him deal with it all on his own. But she couldn't do it, she wouldn't leave him to deal with this alone. He hadn't made the decision by himself, hell he hadn't made the decision at all, and therefore he shouldn't have to shoulder the weight of it. She took a vow, and damn it she had every intention of honoring that vow, even if she had to beat some sense into her husband first.

Lisa left the lounge making her way back to Greg's room, not caring if he was awake, or if Stacy was still there. She knew one thing for sure, and that was Stacy had better have all of her body parts no where near Lisa Cuddy's husband. Bad things were liable to happen if that was not the case, and it didn't matter that Lisa was almost six months pregnant. She had every intention of doing whatever she needed to do to end this war with him, but the one thing she wasn't going to allow, was Greg pushing her out into the cold. She'd been there for years already, she wasn't going back.

She quietly pushed the door open to his room, stepping into the dimly lit interior to find it empty of Stacy and a slumbering Greg. She set her things down and approached the bed to look at her husband. Even in sleep his brow was furrowed, she could make out the lines of stress and exhaustion etched around his mouth. Not thinking twice, she leaned in a gently caressed his lips with her own, causing a jolt of electricity to sizzle down her spine. There was no way in hell she was ever letting this go again; the blasted man would just have to realize he was stuck with her. As if anyone else would take him.

Lisa went to move back, but a firm hand on the back of her neck stopped her from going anywhere. She looked up into blue eyes that she expected to be condemning, but only found mild amusement and a trace of heat. She watched fascinated as Greg slowly drew her back to him, settling his mouth against her own. He kissed her as if he had all the time in the world to savor her, making promises against her lips and pouring everything he felt about her into this one kiss.

"I'm not apologizing for how I feel or felt about my leg," he said to her in a harsh tone. She watched him swallow, take a deep breath and then plunge ahead. "But I will apologizing for hurting you."

"You didn't hurt me," she rushed to reassure him.

"Lisa, I hurt you. I put a look in your eyes that I never wish to see again," he replied. "I'm sure that I've probably hurt you over this enough in the last nine years, I just don't remember, but it's going to end. What's done is done, and no amount of wishing it otherwise will change it."

"Stacy gave you a piece of her mind, didn't she?" Lisa asked him with a knowing smile.

"Among other things," he said wryly. "I can't remember her, she thinks it better that way and maybe she's right. Either way it's not important; she isn't what was standing between us. Not now, not nine years ago."

"I know that," Lisa said looking into his electric blue eyes. "And if she ever puts her lips on you again, I'll kill you both."

"I'd survive just so I could see you in an orange prison jumpsuit," he said with a chuckle.

"I would have you removed from my visitors list," she responded with a slight toss of her head.

"You're mine," Lisa growled leaning in to lightly nip his bottom lip. "No one else wants your cantankerous ass anyway." Greg growled back at her and leaned up to fully capture her mouth with his. They spent several long minutes tasting each other, closing the wound that had been re-opened in their relationship. Neither noticed when the door opened and two people moved into the room.

"Well I guess if you're up to bedroom acrobatics, we can kick your ass out," they heard Mike say. They broke apart, and Greg watched as Lisa turned a lovely shade of red.

"So, I finally get to use my get out of jail card," Greg responded sitting up a little.

"Yeah, the nursing staff has had about all they can take of you," Burke replied moving closer. "It's either you or them, so you've got to go."

"You'll need physical therapy," Mike said hoping not to burst Greg's some what jovially mood. "The kidneys are healing a little more slowly than Burke here would like, but your well on your way to being back."

"Can we return to Princeton?" Lisa asked. She was ready to be back home, but she wouldn't leave unless they cleared him to go back with her.

"I don't see why not," Burke answered her. "We can spring him in the next couple of days if you want to start making the arrangements to get him back east."

"No rehab center," Greg said to Lisa firmly.

"It would be for the best," she said realizing that he was going to fight her on this.

"Maybe for some one else, but not me," he replied digging in his proverbial heels. "I haven't forgotten everything woman. I have a registered nurse in my employ, who also happens to be a trained physiotherapist."

"Damn it Greg, you don't play fair," Lisa hissed jumping up from his bed.

"Never claimed to," he said with a smug smile. "Now I need some beauty sleep and you have plenty of arrangements to keep you too busy for awhile. And take these two miscreants with you so I can get some quiet time."

All three of them watched as House made a production of fluffing his pillows and sighing heavily as he began to descend into blissful slumber.

"Not quite yet Greg," he heard Mike say from much closer to his bed than he felt comfortable with. He opened his eyes to slits and sure enough, the other doctor was perched on the side of his bed watching him intently.

"If I didn't know you were happily married, I'd be a little worried right now," House said with a smirk.

"You know you really are my type," Mike said leaning a little closer. "Scruffy exterior, warm gooey interior."

"Oh yuck," House replied sticking his tongue out at the other doctor. "So why are you still here?"

"You don't remember the accident," Mike began. "But do you remember what brought you out here?" He watched as Greg scrunched up his face in concentration trying to bring anything to mind.

"No," Greg answered feeling defeated that he couldn't break through to the memories surrounding the accident.

"I'm not surprised since it was concerning your leg," Mike replied shifting over to the chair by the bed.

"Why would I come see you about my leg?" Greg asked a little perplexed.

"You really can be dense sometimes," Mike said with a sigh. After a few moments of pondering, he jumped into the idea that Greg had presented him with, as well as the notes from their five days of brainstorming and testing.

"So, it's possible," Greg asked a little dazed.

"We figured the only real way to find out was to try," Mike affirmed.

"Will the accident hinder us in any way?" Greg asked.

"I don't see why not, the leg is still fucked up," Mike replied cheerfully. Greg didn't take offense; he knew that at his core, Mike was a scientist, and to have the opportunity to do some research was just making him giddy.

"But you might want to come clean with your wife," he said with a knowing smile.

"She has no clue why I'm here," Greg said more to himself than to the man sitting next to his bed.

"Oh she knows why you came out here, she just hasn't heard it from you yet," Mike said standing up to leave. "If I were you I'd rectify that as soon as possible, before you find yourself left here in Chicago with me."

Come one and hit that purple button!! Let me know if you're all still reading.


	26. Chapter 26: Braeden Gregory House

**A/N: Alright, the holidays are over, my birthday is tomorrow and this is my present to all of you. This chapter centers around our young hero and gives a little bit of insight into how he thinks. It takes place about six weeks after they return to Princeton. I am still planning on a few more chapters and the baby action and wether or not they can save Braeden will start to heat up.**

**I want to say wow to all the reviews that have been left. You guys rock, and I mean ROCK. Please keep them coming. I hope to have the next chapter up soon, but for now hit that button and let me know what you're thinking.**

Chapter 26: Braeden Gregory House

"I'll be back in an hour," Lisa said to her son as she got close to the office door. "I'll be upstairs on the fifth floor seeing Dr. Jacobs for an update on the babies. She gave her son a smile, blew him a kiss and walked out.

Braeden watched as his mother walked through the door leaving him alone in Dr. Reed's office. He felt his chest tighten, his heart begin to pound and anxiety claw at his insides. He knew she wasn't leaving him, abandoning him, yet watching her walk away triggered some of his deepest fears and he was instantly hurtled back into some of the memories of a child without a mother.

_Braeden felt a certain amount of satisfaction as the door slammed shut behind him with a resounding crash. He had to take a moment to look over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't broken any of the windows._

_When he turned back around to continue on to his room, he was stopped short by his father sitting at the breakfast bar, silently regarding him over the top of a newspaper. This was all he needed after his royally piss poor day at school._

"_So what happened?" House asked take notice of the darkening bruise under his son's left eye._

"_I pushed Seth Miller," Braeden replied in a huff. He heaved an exaggerated sigh as his father continued to regard him with one eyebrow raised in silent query._

"_Alright, fine. I pushed him and he pushed me back. So I hit him and he hit me back. Then I got really mad and kicked him, unfortunately for him I kicked him in the place you said guys shouldn't kick other guys, and he fell to the ground crying like a baby."_

_The memory of Seth Miller on the ground holding his balls in his hands and crying brought a self satisfied smirk to Braeden's face. He didn't like Seth Miller, hadn't since the first day of kindergarten and probably never would._

"_So what precipitated this latest spat with the infamous Seth Miller?" House asked._

_Braeden looked up at his father and felt all the anger and hurt boil closer to the surface. None of this was his fault, he shouldn't be blamed for things that were outside of his control and damn well shouldn't be patronized by one of the two people who had put him in this spot._

"_You want to know what's wrong!" He shouted while pulling some thing from his backpack. _

"_This," he all but snarled slamming a yellow piece of paper down on the breakfast bar in front of his father. "This is what's wrong."_

_With his emotions in a riot, anger seething through his veins, Braeden stormed out of the kitchen and a few moments later House heard the door to his son's room slam shut. The kid loved to slam doors, a trait House was sure he had gotten from his mother. After all he couldn't count the number of times Cuddy had slammed a door in his face, both figuratively and literally._

_House picked up the innocuous piece of yellow paper scanning it quickly, what he read made him groan. It was a flyer for the thirtieth annual mother and son day at Princeton Academy; an event his son wouldn't have been invited to until this year. Seth Miller would have pounced like a vulture smelling fresh meat and rubbed Braeden's face in the fact that his mother was rather absent in his life. House lumbered down the hallway and entered his son's room without knocking._

"_You want to talk about this?" He asked settling on the bed next to Braeden's sprawling form._

"_What's there to talk about," Braeden replied in a sullen mumble. "I'm not going; I don't have a mother."_

"_I'm sure Nana or Connie would be happy to go with you."_

"_You don't get it dad," Braeden snapped. "I don't have a mother and everyone knows it."_

_It was times like these that House wanted to gleefully strangle Lisa, yet he had to also admit to his own role in the tragedy that was his son's life. If he had left well enough alone his son would have been adopted by a couple, he'd have two parents; and yet looking at this small replica of himself he couldn't regret the decision to raise Braeden himself._

"_Brae you have a mother," House began, carefully trying to negotiate through the minefield that encompassed his eight year old's emotions._

"_Not one who wanted me," Braeden replied in a voice chocked with tears._

_House looked a his son, watching his blue eyes blink rapidly, refusing to let the tears fall, refusing to let any one see him hurt. In the back of his mind he thought Dr. Lisa Cuddy was in for one hell of a day tomorrow. He'd get his petty little revenge, but right now he had to focus on his son._

"_That's not true Brae," he said as he fiddled with his cane._

"_That's the way it seems," Braeden muttered. "She was going to give me away, that means she didn't want me."_

"_Braeden, your mother loved you; she just wanted what was best for you and she didn't think she could give you that by herself."_

"_But you would have been there to help her," he said plaintively._

_House felt a headache threatening as he tried to figure out the best way to deal with his son's sensitive feelings. He popped a vicodon hoping to head of the pain._

"_Braeden, the truth is your mother didn't want __**me**__ around," he decided that a little bit of truth wouldn't hurt. He watched as his son's eyes immediately dried and become wide with shock and wonderment._

"_But dad, you're the greatest," Braeden whispered in surprise._

"_Not really son," House replied. "I wasn't very good to your mother, and we had already gone our separate ways when she found out she was pregnant with you. I should have gone to her, but I wanted to make her come to me, she never did."_

"_The how did I end up with you?" Braeden asked in confusion._

"_Thanks to your Uncle Chris," House told him with a smile. "Your mother only wanted the best in the world for you. She loved you enough to realize that she might not be able to do that for you, so she wanted to give you the opportunity to have everything that she couldn't give you. Two parents, a stable home and all the time and devotion that they had to lavish on you. Trust me on this one son. Your mother absolutely adored you and giving you up haunts her."_

_House hoped his son didn't notice his slip into the present tense, he'd be hard pressed to explain how he knew what Braeden's mother was feeling at this moment. Yet House did know how much giving up her child still haunted Cuddy to this day. She couldn't share that with him, it would mean humbling herself and asking for his forgiveness, but it didn't stop him from empathizing with her. He couldn't imagine his life without Braeden, and he had Cuddy to thank for that._

"_So you have a mother, one who loved you enough to let you go to a better life," House said looking into bright blue eyes. "Don't let the Seth Miller's of the world take that from you."_

"_Alright dad," Braeden said his whole body relaxing. He had been wanted, some one had cherished him enough to put his needs before their own. One day he would meet his mother, and instead of blaming her he would thank her; after all she had given him s terrific start._

"Braeden?" The voice pulled at the back of his mind, and slowly he lifted his head to look into the amused green eyes of Dr. Reed.

"Sorry Dr. Reed," Braeden said a little sheepishly as the distant memory faded once again into the recesses of his mind.

Braeden took a moment to study Dr. Camilla Reed, what he saw made him smile. She had long dark brown hair and lively green eyes. Her complexion was flawless and she carried herself in a way that screamed confidence. And if those things didn't clue you into the fact that she was a strong woman, then the dark blue power suit accented with the power heels should leave you with no doubts. She definitely had the Dr. Gregory House stamp of approval.

"So where had you gone to?' She asked once again pulling him back from his reverie.

"I was just thinking about my mother," he said, color creeping up into his cheeks.

Camilla thought that Braeden House was an absolute delight. He had all the charm and wit of his father, mellowed by the grace and caring of his mother. He had a sharp mind, coupled with a wonderful disposition and a sensitive nature. She was sorry that she had to be meeting him under these circumstances.

"Thoughts of your mother make you melancholy?" She asked settling in for their session. She enjoyed her time with him and even though they were suppose to be dealing with his feelings concerning his illness, that topic rarely came up.

"At times," he conceded somewhat grudgingly. "But mostly that it took me getting sick before I could meet her, at least formally that is."

"What do you mean by that?" Camilla asked him quizzically. "Are you saying that you knew Lisa Cuddy was your mother before you met her?"

"The answer to that would be yes," he said with an impish smile.

"Did some one tell you?" She asked knowing there was a good story here.

"No," Braeden replied simply. "You could say I put the powers of observation and deductive reasoning to good use.

_Braeden was sprawled across the couch in the living room of the apartment his father kept in town, watching a horror movie and eating fried rice from the container. He rarely got to come in town and stay, but he had convinced his dad that this time would be a good idea as he had the next couple of days free from school; and it would give Connie a chance to visit with her brother. House relented because he was knee deep in a frustrating case, and he didn't want have to find some one to stay with Braeden at their house in the suburbs._

_Both we deep in their own thoughts when a knock on the door startled them. Braeden looked at his father in question, while his father stared at the offending portal willing the person on the other side to go away. Unfortunately they knocked again._

"_Stay in the bedroom, close the door and don't come out until I say otherwise," House said as he began to move towards the door._

_Braeden grumbled a bit not understanding why he had to basically hide from company. He knew he could be an ill mannered brat, but he was sure he was no worse than his father. Before he could get the door to the bedroom completely closed he heard a female voice stridently taking his father to task about something._

_Curios, he left the door cracked and stood so that any one looking towards the bedroom would not be able to see him. Not that he thought his father or the dark haired woman would notice if he went running through the living room naked. They were totally focused on each other and oblivious to anything going on around them._

_Braeden stood transfixed as his father stepped into the woman's personal space and instead of retreating she moved closer. They were both breathing hard and he could almost see the waves of some strong emotion pouring off the two of them. He couldn't make out much of what they were saying, but he got the idea that it had something to do with the tuxedo that had been carelessly tossed on the couch. After several more minutes of arguing the dark haired woman stormed out leaving his father staring after her in either shock or rage._

"_Who was that?" Braeden asked as he crept out of the bedroom._

"_Dr. Lisa Cuddy, or the devil incarnate. Take your pick," House growled as he prowled around the room._

"_Looks like she really pissed you off," Braeden said._

"_Yeah well that's women for you," he replied absently. "Time for bed twerp."_

_The next morning his father was already gone when Braeden woke up, leaving him a note that he'd check in with him later and for him to stay out of trouble. Well Braeden didn't think that was going to happen as he wanted to know more about the mystery lady who had put his father on edge._

_Grabbing his baseball cap and sunglasses he left the apartment and headed to PPTH. He figured that all he had do was avoid his dad and he'd be golden. It didn't take him long to get there, but once there he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't just ask to see Dr. Cuddy, and even if some one did point her out to him; what was he going to say. "I just wanted to know why you make my dad so nervous?" That would go over well._

_Braeden decided to head up to the cafeteria, grab a bite to eat and decide his next course of action. He walked in behind a group of med students and just as he was about to head for the food he spotted his quarry, and the Gods smiled on him. She was having lunch with none other than his Uncle Jimmy. Food forgotten he decided to sneak down to Uncle Jimmy's office and lay in wait for him._

_He was sitting in one of the two chairs reading a medical journal when Wilson walked in. James was glancing over a patient chart and failed to see Braeden until he sat down._

"_Does your dad now you're here?" James shouted as he jumped up from his chair._

"_If my dad knew I was here, I wouldn't be here," Braeden replied with a smirk._

"_What are you doing here?" James asked glancing around to make sure that House was nowhere in the vicinity. _

"_Who is Dr. Lisa Cuddy?" Braeden asked. Wilson groaned at the look on his young friend's face; it was a look that his father got whenever something had piqued his curiosity._

"_I'm surprised you haven't googled her?" James replied sitting down._

"_I did," Braeden replied as if he was talking to simpleton. "I know where she went to college, where she went to medical school, when she graduated, where she did her internship and residencies, when she became dean of medicine. I know all her accomplishments and achievements, what I don't know is why she makes my dad sweat."_

"_She doesn't make your dad sweat," James scoffed, hoping to divert his attention._

"_Ok, fine; how about shake like a nervous school boy on his first date," Braeden said with a smug smile._

"_Look Braeden, she's his boss," Jimmy said aiming for reasonable. "They don't always see eye to eye on everything."_

"_I can definitely agree with that statement, but what I saw went deeper, more emotion involved," he said looking earnestly at his uncle. "Their time at Michigan over laps, they knew each other didn't they."_

_It wasn't a question and James feared that the sharp mind that his friend's son had would quickly jump to all the right conclusions. He watched as the gears spun quickly behind those sharp blue eyes, and wondered if death would claim him quickly when the light bulb went off in their depths._

"_She's my mother, isn't she?" He asked in a whisper._

"_Braeden, I don't think you should pursue this," Jimmy implored. "People could get hurt, badly._

"_Wow, Dr. Lisa Cuddy is MY mother," he breathed finally able to give the shadowy woman in his dreams a face._

"_You're not listening," Jimmy said anger beginning to creep into his voice._

"_Uncle Jimmy, calm down. I'm not going to storm her office, throw myself into her arms and ask her for a kiss. Although that is something I'm sure my father would do. I'm just glad that I know who she is."_

_He got up, put the magazine down and headed for the door. Jimmy watched him for a moment. Then decided to help the poor kid out._

"_Hey twerp, how about I give you a ride back to the apartment and let you in," James said grabbing his keys. "And on the way I'll tell you a few things about one Dr. Lisa Cuddy that you couldn't find on google._

"_That would be great," he replied. "I wasn't sure how I was going to get back in."_

"Well I would say that I'm shocked, but oddly for some reason, I'm not," Camilla replied looking at her young patient. "So you've known for a little more than two years and you managed to keep that to yourself?"

"I figured Uncle Jimmy was right and it would do more harm than good for me to just pop up in her life," he said with a shrug. "I'm sure that with this face I wouldn't have to say much. One look at me and she would know that I was Gregory House's son, and I'm sure she know I was her's."

"Knowing that you are sick, do you wish you had approached her earlier? So you could have had more time to get to know her?" Braeden titled his head to the side, giving the question some serious thought.

"No," he said simply. "I don't think things would have worked out so well if I had tried to get to know her back then. My illness was the catalyst that my father needed, and this whole situation was about more than just me."

"Braeden, are you afraid to die?"

"Isn't everyone?" Braeden replied. He hadn't wanted to come here, didn't think he needed to talk to _someone_about everything that was going on in his young life. People got sick every day, people died everyday, why would he need to talk about it? He looked at Dr. Reed and realized that she had been good for him' it had done him more than he thought it would.

"Perhaps," Camilla conceded. "But I want to know if you are afraid, if it bothers you that your death maybe imminent."

He allowed himself the opportunity to weigh her question, after all it was a valid question. There were no guarantees that he would beat this disease, and if that was the case, his death was a foregone conclusion. You didn't get to cheat death, not without serious consequences.

"_Is he going to die?" _

_Stacy looked down at the little boy whose small hand was nestled inside her own much larger one. She had snuck him in well after the time that most of the hospital staff had gone home, after she was sure that Lisa Cuddy had ended her vigil and gone to her office for a nap . She didn't need anyone to tell her that Lisa was the mother to the little boy standing beside her, the woman who had put Greg's son up for adoption without ever having told him that he was going to be a father. The last thing she needed was for Lisa to see Braeden; Greg would kill her, even if it meant coming back from the dead to do so._

"_The doctors are doing everything they can to make sure that he doesn't," she replied._

"_Then that means he might," Braeden said looking at the prone figure of his father. He was scared, had been since Stacy had come home and told him his father was sick. He might seem like a little boy to most people, but he was already smarter than the majority of them, he understood the things they didn't want him to know._

"_Yes, he might," she agreed with him. She knew that Greg was always brutally honest with his son; lying he said would only come back to bite you later. _

"_What are they going to do to keep him from dying?" Braeden asked turning those serious blue eyes on her. Stacy struggled for words, hoping that she could explain it so that he wouldn't be frightened._

"_They are going to take him in to an operating room so that they can remove all the bad stuff from his leg," she replied going down on her knees in front of him. _

"_Then he'll be able to come home?" He asked her in that little boy voice that made her heart skip a beat. She pushed his sable brown hair back from his forehead, leaning in slightly to place a light kiss at his temple._

"_I certainly hope so," she replied._

_Stacy knew that there was a good chance that after this was said and done, her relationship with Greg would be over. But she had to admit that she knew their relationship had been on shaky ground from the beginning, and his being close to Lisa Cuddy was in no way helping. She could admit defeat gracefully, if not for herself , then at least for the little boy who had a shot at having his parents together for once in his life._

"_We need to go little man," she said touching his shoulder. They had been there far longer than she had planned and it was inevitable that if they stayed longer Lisa would come by to check on Greg's condition, and then there really would be hell to pay._

"_I love you dad," Braeden said hoping his father could hear him. He didn't want to leave, scared that it would the last time he saw his father alive, but it was outside his realm of control. All he could do was hope and have faith in the medicine his father put so much trust in._

_He was to learn later that his dad did in fact cheat death, not once but twice. His dad came home, limping, relying on a cane and changed from the constant pain that clawed at him. So you could cheat death, for a while at least, but death always found a way to win._

"No," Braeden replied in answer to the question. "I'm not afraid to die. I can't stop death even if I wanted to, but I do worry about what it would do to my parents."

"And why is that?" Dr. Reed asked. Braeden wondered for a moment what was the best way to describe the conundrum that was his parents.

"I don't know if my death would bring them closer together or irrevocably tear them apart," he replied.

"Tell me why you feel this way?" Dr. Reed said studying her patient. She had taken on seeing Braeden House as a special request from her good friend Dr. Lisa Cuddy. At first she had been unaware of who the child was, only that his parents were concerned about his emotional well being considering what he was facing.

"It seems there had always been something standing in their way," Braeden said trying to put to words the things he felt or saw where his parents were concerned. "I'm sure that in the beginning they were their worse enemies, but some where along the way, I became the wedge that would continue to drive them apart."

"Braeden, your parents are adults," Dr. Reed began. What she didn't say was that at times they acted more like squabbling five year olds than the respected doctors that they were. "They are the only ones who should be held accountable for their actions."

"Yes, but I am the catalyst for many of those actions," he said. "They deserve each other, they deserve to be happy together. If they can't save me, that could destroy them."

"I agree, but you can't hold yourself responsible for that. Losing a child would devastate any parent, and I know your parents would be no different, but look at it this way. They came together to try and give you a shot at beating this disease, even going so far as to have another baby. They've put themselves on the line, and I think not just for you, but for themselves as well. They're grabbing their chance for happiness, and hopefully it will all go well. If it doesn't then what happens will be up to them."

Braeden digested her words and found comfort in them. His parents didn't have to put so much of themselves on the line to save him, but they had and somewhere along the way they had rediscovered whatever they had lost.

"Thanks Dr. Reed," he said standing up and reaching for her hand. "I think we went over our time a little, but I'm glad that I came back."

"So am I Braeden," she replied taking hold of his smaller hand. "Does this mean you'll be back next week?"

"Yeah, I'll be back," he said with a smile.

**A/N: Come on and let me know what you think!! **


	27. Chapter 27: The Revenge Of Lisa Cuddy

**A/N: This chapter was a little rushed and not quite how I wanted it to turn out, but in a few hours I am going to have all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed, so I wanted to make sure that you guys had the next chapter before this wonderful event takes place. I probably won't be feeling up to writing or posting so the next chapter probably won't be ready until next week-end at the earliest. There are a few surprises in this chapter and although it starts a little scary for House it has a wonderful ending.**

**You guys are still the greatest when it comes to reviews, and thank you all for the birthday wishes. Please let me know what you think of this chapter and I'm going to request some help, but you have to read to the end to find out what I need. **

Chapter 27: The Revenge Of Lisa Cuddy

House stood in his empty office surrounded by the quiet and slightly stale air that enveloped him. He hadn't been back to work since returning to Princeton, and Monday loomed on the horizon for him. He had stopped by to have lunch with Jimmy and to tackle the prospect of returning to his domain in the following week.

He wasn't quite sure if he was looking forward to it. Lisa wouldn't be here for him to harass everyday, but he didn't have to return to clinic duty. He smiled at that; Lisa said she didn't want him over doing it, and that he was to gradually immerse himself back into work. He loved when she worried about him, he'd never admit it to another soul, deny it vehemently if they ever found out, but she made him feel all warm and truly loved.

His arm trembled a little from the strain of him pushing himself all day, so he walked over to his chair and lowered himself slowly to the seat. He had marveled at the fact that even though his mind held no memory of how to use a cane, his body responded to the weight and feel of it as soon as his hand had touched the head. His physical therapy had gone quickly, his body remembering what his mind could not. In general he was feeling better, if not completely one hundred percent, seems that you really didn't bounce back as well at forty as you did at twenty; hell even at thirty he might have done better.

House sighed; he couldn't complain, it was a miracle he bounced back at all. His thoughts turned to Vincent and the fact that even though the young man had been half his age, he hadn't bounced back, he hadn't even survived. It would seem that was fickle that way, saving the life of a embittered cripple over the life of a young star just beginning to brighten. He shook his head to free himself of his maudlin thoughts, they just didn't suit him.

Greg pushed himself up from the chair, grabbing his cane to steady himself. He still hated that he needed it to walk, his psyche not yet ready to accept it as fact. The one good thing that had come from the whole experience was that he couldn't remember the reasons why he had been so opposed to have the damn leg amputated. It hurt like a bitch and he couldn't understand why he would have rather lived with that pain instead of being rid of the damn thing and getting a prosthetic. He only held off now because Mike wanted to give the stem cells a chance, and he didn't think his wife needed to deal with him going through surgery and more physical therapy at this time.

His thoughts strayed to his wife, and he had to smile. She had tried to drag him off on a shopping venture, but he had managed to dodge by saying that he had been neglecting Jimmy. It helped that Braeden offered to go, and to even pay for lunch. You had to love that boy. He was turning to leave when he saw Jimmy standing in the doorway. The look on his face made the blood in Greg's veins freeze.

"Is it Braeden?" House asked limping towards his friend.

"I'm not sure," Wilson replied honestly. "I got a call from the ER, there's been some sort of accident. They didn't have all the details, just that the Dean of Medicine was being brought in."

House barely let Jimmy finish speaking before he was striding down the hall as fast as his wretched leg could take him. He felt the real claw of fear squeezing his heart as thoughts of something happening to his son and wife crowded his brain. He couldn't take any more emergencies, late night calls or whatever else could be thrown at them.

People moved out of their way, giving them a wide berth as they strode down the hall. When they reached the elevator, Wilson didn't rib House as he continued to jab the down the button until the elevator arrived. When the doors slid open and they were greeted with a full elevator, Jimmy didn't hesitate.

"I'm sorry people but we have a medical emergency and need everyone off the elevator," Wilson said herding the people in the front off. There were a few grumbles, but for the most part everyone got off the elevator, and House limped on.

"Thanks Jimmy," House said to his friend. "That was a little ballsy for you."

"Yeah, well every now and then I need to work off some extra testosterone," Jimmy replied with a shrug.

They reached the ground level and scanned their badges that would let them through the double doors that separated the waiting room from the ER treatment rooms. The two of them were rushing to the nurses' station when House caught sight of his sone standing outside of a room. House felt his heart stutter to see his son standing there, seemingly unhurt. He touched Jimmy's arm and they both turned to head towards the boy.

"Braeden," House called as they got a little closer.

The boy turned his head and saw his father limping towards him. He broke into a run and threw himself into House's waiting arms. He trembled at little, the shock and fear ebbing away a little upon seeing his dad.

"What happened?" House asked trying to keep his voice from sounding to harsh. "Was there an accident?"

"Not really," Braeden replied shaking his head. "We had left the mall and Mom was driving, she said she wasn't feeling well. When I looked over at her, she just seemed to stop and slump forward. I grabbed the wheel, steered us over to the side of the road and let the car slowly roll to a stop. I didn't know what was wrong, but I got really scared when she wouldn't open her eyes."

"Hey, it's ok Brae. You did the right thing; you kept your head in a crisis and probably helped avoid a serious accident," Jimmy said coming to knell down in front of the boy.

"I called 911," he said in a voice that shook a little. "The paramedics were going to take her to a closer hospital, but I convinced them to bring her here. Once they realized that she was the Dean of Medicine, they didn't hesitate."

"Braeden, I want you stay with Jimmy," House said clasping his son's shoulder.

"But dad, I don't want to leave her," Braden cried out, drawing several pairs of eyes in their direction.

"I know son," House reassured him. "It could be awhile before we know what's wrong. I'm not asking you to leave the hospital, and as soon as I know what is going on I'll come get you."

"Pinkie swear?" Braeden asked holding out the little finger of his left hand. House smiled and hooked his finger with his son's.

"Pinkie swear," he agreed.

House watched his son's shoulders sag and knew that the last few hours had probably taken a toll on the young boy. Sometimes he forgot that his son was ill, but at times like these it tended to hit you right between the eyes. He and Jimmy shared a look, then Jimmy herded the young boy off talking to him in low tones.

Greg squared his shoulder and slid the door to the room that Lisa was in open. He moved the privacy curtain out of his way and stepped fully into the room, he was greeted by the sound of low voices and the rhythmic beating of her heart. He was relieved to see that Grant was the ER attendee on duty and some one had the foresight to call Dr. Jacobs down. The two men were talking in hushed tones, and he couldn't really hear what they were saying, so he took that moment to study his wife.

Her eyes were closed and he assumed that to mean that she had yet to regain consciousness. Her skin was pale, far paler than he liked to see and there were dark smudges under her eyes. He knew that she had been pushing herself to hard and all efforts for her to slow down had been gently rebuffed. An iv had already been started, and he watched the steady drip of fluid into her arm for a moment. The sound of the rhythmic beeping of her pulse drew his eyes to the monitor above the bed, and he felt his heart freeze in his chest.

Her pulse was normal, if just a tad bit erratic and her pulse ox was nothing alarming, she was breathing just fine on her own. Yet her blood pressure was high, alarming so, and at 31 weeks pregnant he knew what that elevated blood pressure meant.

"House," Dr. Jacobs said as he noticed the diagnostician staring at his wife's vitals.

"Pre-eclampsia?" House asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes," Jacobs confirmed. "We knew it was a strong possibility given her age and the fact that she's carrying multiples."

"We're giving her fluids, and trying to bring down her blood pressure," Grant said walking over to stand in front of man her had never thought to call friend. But they were and he was surprised that being friends with Gregory House was rewarding and sometimes a little painful.

"There's no choice for it House," Jacobs said looking over his shoulder at his patient and boss. "We have to deliver those babies now."

"Nine weeks early," House said to no one in particular.

"If we don't move fast this whole thing could go south," Jacobs replied looking at him. "I've already got the ball in motion. The O.R. is being prepped and the NICU teams are being assembled."

"Do you know if she had a seizure?" House asked walking over to his wife's bed. She looked too fragile laying there while they talked about rushing her in for an emergency c-section.

"It doesn't appear so," Grant answered.

At that moment Lisa stirred letting out a slight moan, and gradually opening her eyes. It took her a moment to focus and when she did she looked up to Greg. The expression on his face must have clued her in, because she closed her eyes again and cursed succinctly.

"How bad is it?" She asked looking at him again.

"You didn't wreck the car," he replied trying to lighten the mood. She chuckled a little at his attempt at levity.

"The babies?" She asked fearing that she already knew the answer.

"We have to deliver now," Jacobs responded.

Lisa heard him although she didn't acknowledge it; she only had eyes for House. She was scared and he knew it, but he also knew there was very little to be said. If the babies weren't delivered immediately she could die, and the babies would go with her. Time was against them on all fronts.

"Alright then," she said accepting the inevitable. "Do you have what we need here, or will some one have to bring it from home?"

"I had the collection kits moved here just in case," he replied lightly touching her cheek. "It's going to be alright you know."

"You wouldn't have it any other way," she said with a smirk. "Where's Braeden?"

"He's with Jimmy. I'll call him and update the situation; he'll be able to send the collection kits down with one of the ducklings."

"Then I suggest we get this show on the road," she said with false bravado.

Once set in motion, things happened rather quickly. Greg stepped out of the room to make those phone calls, while the anaesthesiologist went in to set up Lisa's epidural. Grant came out, clasped him on the shoulder, wished them luck and ran off to meet a trauma case rolling through the doors. When Greg looked up they were wheeling Lisa out to head up to Labor and delivery. She reached out, grabbed his hand and ignored the silent tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"Promise me something," she said to him. He leaned down so that no one else could hear what she had to say. "You have proxy over my medical care. If something goes wrong, do whatever you have to. I trust you implicitly."

At first all he could do was stare at her. She had given him the right to make any and all decisions concerning her medical care if something happened to her. Her life was in his hands if she was unable to voice her own concerns.

"You're putting your life in my hands?" He asked still some what incredulous.

"It always has been," she replied cupping his cheek. She rubbed his stubbled jaw and pulled him in for a lingering kiss. "Now move your ass, we have a date in the O.R."

He smiled as they wheeled her down the hall to the elevators that the general public rarely got to see. He took a few moments to himself, allowing the fear and raw emotions to roll through him. After that he let it all go, and limped to the elevators as quickly as his leg would allow him.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Is everyone ready?" Dr. Jacobs asked the room. It was crowded in the O.R. with a five person team for each baby and his own surgical team. When only silence greeted him, he nodded his head and made the first incision.

No one said a word as he worked occasionally calling out instructions to his assistant. The silence was heavy and oppressive, broken only by the slight rustling of scrubs as some one shifted. Greg looked over to Lisa to find her eyes tightly closed and her lips moving as if in prayer. He reached over and placed his hand lightly on her cheek drawing her stormy gaze to him. He gave her a smile and she answered with a tremulous smile of her own. Then the silence was broken by a small cry that quickly turned into a loud squall, and the room was thrown into the organized chaos of medical personnel coming to life.

"Baby A is out," Jacobs announced to the room as he suctioned out the squalling infants mouth. "It's a boy and damn if he isn't mad as hell." The room laughed at this, and a nurse stepped forward to take the baby from him and over to the unit for assessment. Greg watched as the NICU team frantically rushed to record vitals and stabilize his son.

"Baby A, 3lbs. 1 oz., 18 inches. One minute APGAR 6," some one called out to the room at large.

Greg watched as the team closed the incubator doors and rushed out of the room heading down one floor to the neo-natal intensive care unit. He wanted to go as well, not wanting to his sone to be alone, but his wife still needed him and there were still two more babies. He looked back to Lisa and was not surprised to see the tears streaming down her face. He kissed the hand that was tightly squeezing his own, reassuring her that everything would work out.

"Baby B has decided to join us, and of course I'm not surprised that we have another boy here," Jacobs said handing the second baby off.

"He's not crying Greg," Lisa said a frown marring her beautiful face.

"Give him a moment," Greg replied as the icy fingers of fear curled through his belly.

He could see the NICU team bagging the baby and he felt the bottom of his world drop out. He heard them suctioning fluid out of the baby's mouth and trying to stimulate him to take a breath. House was almost to his feet when his son let out loud cry and everyone erupted into cheers. He lowered himself back down, relief flooding through him.

"Baby B, 3lbs. 3 oz. 19.5 inches. One minute APGAR 5," the nurse called out as the team rushed out of the O.R.

"Alright Baby C, your turn" Dr. Jacobs said as he extracted the last baby. "Oh, I think there's been a mistake."

"What do you mean a mistake?" Greg asked his head snapping up. "What kind of mistake can be made at this point?"

"Well," Dr. Jacobs said over the intense squalling of the baby he handed off to a nurse. "It seems that I might have been wrong when I saw the sonogram."

"Wrong how," House growled at him.

"It would sem that Baby C is a girl," Jacobs said with a wicked smile on his face.

House looked at him incredulously and then turned his stunned gaze onto his wife. Lisa was looking at him also in a state of shock, which quickly gave way to one of excitement.

"Don't blame me," she said damn near shaking with laughter. "It's all his fault." She said pointing towards Dr. Jacobs.

"Well not exactly," Jacobs quipped looking at the still stunned diagnostician. "After all House you put them there."

"Well I'm glad that every one is amused by all this," he snarled.

"Baby C, 3lbs. 6 oz. 20 inches and one minute APGAR 7," the nurse said looking over at House. "And **she** is absolute adorable if not a little furious with all of us."

"Laugh it up while you'll can," House said to the team as they rushed out of the O.R. room snickering.

"How's the cord blood collection coming?" Dr. Jacobs asked the nurses who had been a assigned that particular duty.

"We got more than enough," one replied. "We'll just get everything sealed, labeled and stored for you Dr. House.

He nodded his head absently, his mind already shifting to his children who were all probably in the NICU being further assessed. He wanted to go and see them, check on them himself, but he wasn't leaving until Lisa was taken to recovery.

"We need to think of a girl's name," Lisa said as she watched the emotions play across her husband's face.

"I'm thinking Baby Girl C should do," he replied still feeling a little out of sorts.

"Greg, don't be an ass," she said chuckling.

"It's just that it was a little unexpected..."

"GET ANOTHER TEAM IN HERE, STAT!" Dr. Jacobs yelled, interrupting what House had been about to say.

"What the hell?" House barked jumping to his feet. Fear rolled through him again as he imagined all kinds of scenarios, the worst being that Lisa was about to bleed to death right in front of his eyes.

"Seems you getting a daughter out of this wasn't the only thing I was wrong about," Jacobs answered him as the sound of wailing filled the room once again.

Every stopped, all eyes in the room focused on Dr. Jacobs and the baby making enough racket to bring down the house. Greg looked from the baby back to his wife and then back again. He felt the room tilt wildly to the side, and felt the hands of a nurse pushing him back down onto the chair.

"I told you there were three boys," Jacobs said passing the infant off to the team that had just rushed in.

"Baby D, 2lbs. 8 oz. 16 inches and one minute APGAR is 7," the nurse called out. "He's small but damn if he isn't feisty."

"Greg," Lisa called hoping to draw him out of his shell shocked state. "I think I'll be alright if you left and went on down to the NICU. I want information and pictures immediately."

"You don't have anything else hiding in there?" He asked gesturing vaguely to her abdomen.

"Well if I do you will be all the more surprised when I see you again." She said to him with a luminous smile.

"Woman, I won't survive any more of your surprises," he quipped as he quickly leaned in for a kiss, a left the O.R. to go meet his brood.

**A/N: Well that was certainly surprising!! So there are 4 babies to name and I haven't even begun to think about girl's names. I would love to hear ideas, because at this point I am totally open to names for all four, and that would be first and middle names. Hit that review button and give me some ideas!!**


	28. Chapter 28: Nine Weeks Early

**A/N: The last chapter garnered so many reviews, I have no idea how to top it!! You guys still truly rock and are by far the greatest fans in the land fanfiction. We are closing in on 400 reviews, which has to mean some one likes this story. I can't thank you guys enough. **

**Some how I managed to finally get this chapter done!! I am really hoping on only two more chapters and this fic will be a wrap. I will say that this chapter was a bit emotional for me at times, but there are also some great moments. Thanks for all the suggestions on baby names, they helped me in my final decisions.**

Chapter 28: Nine Weeks Early

House stopped outside the double doors that led to the NICU realizing that he couldn't go in. He wanted to go in there, he wanted to see the tiny infants that belonged to him, but he wanted to meet them with their mother standing by his side. The way they should have greeted Braeden's arrival into the world. They had done so many things wrong, had missed so much, caused Braeden to miss things they could have given him if one of them hadn't been so stubborn. He wanted these babies to have things he knew he was only capable of giving with Lisa by him.

His parents and sister were down the hall in a lounge designed for families who would be spending lots of time at the hospital due to their child being born too early. He hadn't seen them yet, hadn't told them what had transpired in the O.R. He wasn't sure how long he stood there in front of those double doors unaware of anything going on around him. He was lost in his own thoughts, his own personal feelings of inadequacy when he herd some one clear their throat behind him.

Greg turned around slowly coming face to face with his father. He had spent most of his life hating his father, believing he was inept as a parent; believing he should have never been allowed to father one child much less alone two. The man's only saving grace had been his wife, and thank God for minor miracles.

"Son, I wanted to talk to you," his father said meeting Greg's slightly contemptuous gaze.

"I don't think now would be the time for you and I to have a heart to heart," Greg replied about to turn back to staring at the double doors. Even his father's unexpected presence wasn't enough to propel him through those doors.

"Then I' ll save the heart stuff for some other time," his father replied in a sardonic voice that reminded House way to much of himself.

He realized that the man was not going to just go away and leave him to the contemplation of the doors in front of him. He didn't want to do this right now, but at least if he stood here, pretended to listen, he wouldn't have to go into the NICU and face his failures head on.

"Alright, spit it out," Greg replied turning his attention back to the man in front of him.

"I lied," John said evenly. "There is going to be some heart stuff, but your strong enough to deal with it. You're not the man I thought you'd be, hoped you'd be when you were born."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Greg quipped. "I know I'm happy that I didn't turn out to be whatever man you envisioned for me."

"But that doesn't make you any less a good man," John continued as if Greg had never interrupted him. "You've done great things and probably helped more people than I was ever given the opportunity to help. Those are things to be proud of. You many not be the man I wanted, but you are still a good man."

Gregory House stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for words. He had the strong desire to shift from foot to foot like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. He never heard his father come so close to giving him praise, and it left him feeling a tad bit unsettled. Things in his world were suppose to be a certain way, and his father was changing that with every word out of his mouth.

"You need to be here with your family," John began again.

"What, you think I'm going to abandon them?" Greg asked feeling better now that they had something to argue over.

"No, that's not what I was referring to," his father said, once again taking the wind from Greg's sail. "I know you won't do that, not after I watched you step forward and take on the responsibility of you infant son by yourself."

"But some one has got to take the cord blood to Chicago, and all this time you've assumed that should be you," his father replied. "Your mother and I want to do it."

"Why?" Greg asked stupefied.

"We want to help, to feel like we're contributing some how," John replied letting his eyes finally meet his son's. "Lisa is going to need you here, not too mention Braeden. He's going to have to start chemotherapy soon, and with 3 babies in the NICU, it would be taxing on Lisa to try and contend with by herself."

"Four," Greg corrected some what amused.

"Four what?" His father asked slightly confused.

"Four babies in the NICU," he replied as he watched his father's eyes go wide with shock. "It seems Dr. Jacobs missed one."

"That would mean," John started.

"Yes, you have a granddaughter," Greg confirmed. He knew that nothing would ever completely heal the rift that existed between himself and his father, but the look on the older man's face went a long way to helping erase some of the resentment.

"Will...will we be able to see her, see all of them before we leave?" He asked hoping his son wouldn't make them wait until they came back from Chicago.

"Yes," Greg replied simply. "I need to go in there now and meet them myself."

'The I won't keep you any longer," John replied as he started back down the hallway.

"Dad," House called out stopping his father. "Thank you."

His father inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment and continued on down the hall. Greg turned back towards the double doors, and took a deep breath. He still didn't want to go through them alone, but he knew that he had to and he was good a doing the things nobody else wanted to.

"You keep doing stuff like that, and everyone will know you for the softy that you are," he heard from behind him.

Greg felt a smile slowly spread across his face at the sound of his son's voice. Looking back over his shoulder he was surprised to see Wilson standing at the back of a wheelchair, and a very exhausted looking Cuddy sitting there smiling wanly at him.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he said, his voice firm, belying that fact that he was grateful that they were there.

"And you should have been back a while ago," she said waving her hand negligently in the air. "But we won't dwell on that just now. How about we go in there and meet the horde."

"I'll catch up with you guys a little later," Jimmy said relinquishing his place behind Lisa.

"Actually I was hoping you'd come with us," Lisa said looking pointedly at Greg.

"He'll never let us live it down Lisa," Greg whined. "He'll think we like him and want him involved in our lives. He's like a stray puppy, we'll never be rid of him."

"I happen to like strays Greg; you should remember that," she replied slyly.

Greg sighed deeply, secretly pleased. He scanned his badge and the double doors opened slowly, admitting them to the world of the NICU. They stepped into a small room that allowed them to wash their hands and gown up if necessary. As they walked through the second doors into the actual nursery, a small woman rushed over to meet them.

Drs. Cuddy, House and Wilson," she greeted them a tad bit flustered. "I wasn't aware that all of you would be coming."

"Neither was I," House muttered under his breath. He felt Lisa reach over and lightly pinch his ass, her eyes never leaving the woman's face.

"You'll have to excuse us Dr. Sung; we were a little anxious to find out what is happening," Lisa said smiling as pleasantly as she could. The drugs she was on kept most of the pain away, but it was hard to concentrate through the fog.

"Of course Dr. Cuddy." She glanced at the three doctors and then her questioning gaze fell on Braeden.

"This is our oldest son," Lisa said before Greg could open his mouth.

"Well, I know you all must be anxious," Dr. Sung replied as she walked over to the far side of the NICU. "We've taken pictures so that you'll have something of them when you're not here, and if you have names it will help for both the staff and yourselves to connect to them."

"Right now 2 of the babies are in room 2 or SPOD, and that's where we'll start," Dr. Sung said as she led them to a door that quietly slid open allowing them to enter the room.

The room was fairly spacious with a round nurses' station set in the center, and eight open air beds, each bed having a rocker beside it. Although the room was fairly dim it was far from quiet. There was the sounds from beeping monitors and alarms constantly going off, and the activity of a staff in motion. Dr. Sung led them over to the first warmer on the left side of the nurses' station. Hanging over the warmer on the wall was a brightly colored card with BABY A in bold colorful print.

"Ashton James," Braeden said as he gazed down on the tiny form of his little brother. He could already feel himself growing protective of the little boy with the light brown fuzz that covered his head.

"It's ok to touch Ashton," Dr. Sung assured him. "You just have to be careful not to over stimulate him; he'll let you know if it's too much for him."

"That's a very nice name," Greg said looking between his son and his best friend.

"I thought so too," Braeden said as he looked to the man he considered an uncle. "He deserves some recognition for having put up with the two of us for so long."

"Ashton is doing fairly well," Dr. Sung said making sure that she made eye contact with both Greg and Lisa. "He's having trouble with his body temperature, hence the radiant warmers. He's a little jaundiced and will probably need light therapy should it get worse. His breathing at times is a little labored, but for the most part he is doing well on his own."

"I want to prepare you for the fact that most preemies go through a honeymoon period, and then problems may arise. I'm not saying that will happen, but you need to be prepared for that eventuality," she said encompassing all of them in her gaze. A tall dark skin woman approached them, her hands filled with various syringes and bags.

"I'm Anita," she introduced herself, holding her hand out to Cuddy first, then Wilson. When she got to House, she gave him a sardonic smile and lifted one brow in silent query. "I will be Ashton's primary nurse during the night, and Rachel has been assigned as his nurse during the day. Please don't hesitate to call us or bother us should you have any questions."

"I'm going to be throwing a lot of information your way, but right now I just want you to concentrate on being introduced to each one of your babies," Dr. Sung said as she moved to the bed next to Ashton's.

Braeden gazed down at the little baby in the warmer, and felt his face light up. His little sister was a fussy little thing, squirming around and trying to pull at the wires that were everywhere. She was slightly bigger than Ashton and she had a silky cap of dark brown hair. He wasn't surprised to see her eyes open and that they were the same intense blue as his own.

"Caitlin Isabella," he breathed enraptured by the little girl.

"Damn, she's already got him wrapped around her little finger," House said gazing at the little girl who had been a surprise to them all.

"That's my girl," Lisa said reaching out and touching the baby's silky fine hair. "I hate to say it Greg, but she looks just like you and the twerp."

"That's my girl," Greg said touching Caitlin's little hand. The little girl tightly grasped the finger that was stroking her palm, and her movements calmed.

"Caitlin is also doing well," Dr. Sung said, smiling at the interactions. "She is the biggest of the four, and besides some problems with body temperature, she's the most stable. We'll want to monitor her closely for a few days, but she maybe able to move to DPOD by the end of the week."

Dr. Sung escorted them out of SPOD, and back into the central area, where a group of doctors were pouring over a set of x-rays. One doctor looked up as the group entered the room, and making excuses to his fellows, he broke off and approached them.

"Dr. Gilchrist," Cuddy said a sleepy smile gracing her face. She had always liked the tall neonatologist she had lured away from The Children's Hospital of New Jersey.

"Dr. Cuddy," he said returning her warm greeting and clasping her hand gently. Greg glared at the doctor who was openly appreciating his wife, and felt the alpha male in him rear it's ugly head.

"You are aware that she is the mother of five," House said insinuating himself between the two.

Gilchrist had the good grace to look a little sheepish as he met House's gaze. Greg didn't offer to shake his hand or even smile to break the tension, he was feeling boorish and it showed.

"That's enough House," Lisa said biting off each word.

She really wasn't up for treating her husband with kid gloves, but when she happened to glance over at her son, she had to bite back a groan. If his father was acting possessive, then Braeden looked down right hostile, and all that hostility was aimed at Dr. Patrick Gilchrist. And to think she had just given birth to 3 more House males; God what had she gotten herself into.

"I'm sure you're both anxious to meet your boys," Gilchrist said in his gracious manner hoping to diffuse the situation. No one wanted to get into a confrontation with Dr. House and he sure as hell didn't want to antagonize the diagnostician.

"CPOD as I'm sure you're aware of is the where we treat our most critical preemies," he said as he led them through the automatic doors into the frenzied world of babies on the edge of survival.

"Are things that bad with the boys?" House asked feeling as if the rug had been snatched from beneath his feet.

"Let's take it a little at a time," Gilchrist said hoping he could reassure them. Being doctors didn't exempt Lisa and Greg from all the tumultuous emotions that parents of preemies experienced. Patrick knew it was his job to try and safely steer the whole family through the process, it didn't help that one of those parents was his boss.

CPOD was set up similarly to SPOD, except there were incubators in addition to open air beds. There were a total of eight beds, and all but one was occupied. People seemed to be constantly in motion, moving around and tending to these most critical of patients. Gilchrist led them to the far end of the unit to an incubator set almost against the wall. On the end of the incubator was a brightly colored card that read BABY D.

"Well hello there my little stow away," Lisa said looking at the smallest of her babies. Tears pooled rapidly in her eyes, and it was everything she could do to keep them at bay. She jumped just a little as she felt Greg's hand gently grasp her own.

"Dylan Michael," Braeden breathed almost silently. The baby was so small compared to his other two siblings that Braeden felt fear for his younger brother. He wanted to reach out and caress the wispy strands of light brown hair, and reassure his brother that everything would be alright.

"Dylan," Gilchrist began looking at Braeden for confirmation. "He is the smallest and has already presented us with a few tense moments. When he first arrived he was breathing on his own, but that changed rapidly. At first we put him on C-PAP and that seemed to help, but within the next hour we had to place him on a respirator. We're giving him surfactant to help his lungs, antibiotics to ward off infection and monitoring him closely for apnea spells."

Gilchrist led them over to an open air warmer that was already surrounded by more doctors and equipment. Greg felt Lisa's hand tighten in his, and he saw Wilson's steps falter just a bit as they got closer.

"I was about to have you paged Dr. House when Dr. Sung had the staff relay your arrival to me," he said looking House directly in the eye. Another doctor turned to meet them as they drew closer.

"Dr. Preston," Lisa said acknowledging the head of her cardiology department.

"Dr. Cuddy," Preston said stepping forward tucking a clipboard under his arm. He inclined his head to both House and Wilson, and spared a brief glance in Braeden's direction.

"Are you sure you want to continue this?" He asked them once again looking in Braeden's direction.

"He'll find out one way or another," House said. "No sense hiding stuff from him now."

"Alright," Preston said with a nod. "Baby B."

"Bryan Vincent," Braeden spoke up looking at Preston. "His name is Bryan."

"Bryan," Preston repeated. "That's a good name; it means noble, strong. Let's cut right to the chase; Bryan is going to need surgery. He was in trouble almost from the moment he got here, and after a series of x-rays and other test, I've concluded that he had Transposition of the Great Arteries." Silence settled over the trio as they began to digest the information being given to them.

"He's too fragile for us to do that surgery now, but we are going to have to take him to the catheterization lab to buy some time. This congenital heart defect is correctable with surgery, but Bryan will need a lot of follow up care throughout childhood."

"I know you've had to contend with a lot today, but we are here to answer any of your questions, help you make any decisions and if it's within our ability; send you home with four healthy babies. My staff and I will clear out and give you all the time you need to bond with Bryan. I would like to take him to the lab within the next few hours."

Dr. Preston made a point of touching each of them, and he went so far as to shake Braeden's hand and tell him that Bryan was indeed a good name. Lisa held back a smile as she knew that Preston's first name was Bryan and his son was named Bryan. If Cuddy remembered correctly Preston's son had also been born with Transposition of the Great Arteries. Her boy was in good hands, and all of them were.


	29. Chapter 29: When It Rains

**A/N: After this chapter, we only have one more to go. This chapter is down right emotional (at least it was for me), you guys may be made of sterner stuff. I have already begun the last chapter and I am pretty sure on how I am going to end it (that could still change).**

**I have always thanked you for your reviews. They have been a source of inspiration, knowledge that this story was being enjoyed. THANK YOU a million times over for your continued dedication and kind words!**

Chapter 29: When It Rains

House snatched the pager off his belt as it gave a shrill ping and began an annoying buzz on his hip. The message was simple, but the short sentence set his heart to hammering.

_NICU 911. Come ASAP!!!_

He felt his stomach drop as he grabbed up his cane and made the mad dash cripple run for the elevator. Everything around him seemed to slow to a crawl, and he felt impatience nipping at his heels. If people didn't get out of his way some one was liable to get hurt. The elevator arrived and he squeezed his way on, ignoring the pointed looks from some of the other passengers.

Thoughts of what could have gone wrong raced through his mind. Dylan didn't have a good night and his day wasn't going too well either. He had several apnea spells and one scary moment when his blood pressure had plummeted. But when House had left the NICU, the little guy was holding his own.

Maybe something had changed with Bryan. He had come through the catheterization with flying colors and had been making steady progress. There had been talk about him joining Ashton and Caitlin in SPOD, and that he might be strong enough to have surgery in a couple of weeks.

"Is this your floor?" The only other person on the floor asked him when the doors slid open and he hadn't moved.

Greg barely looked up to confirm that it was indeed his floor as he barreled off and made the turn that would take him to the NICU. He didn't hesitate at the double doors, swiping his badge frantically and rushing through as the doors swung slowly open. He quickly scrubbed his hands and threw on a yellow gown, neglecting to tie it, when he saw Lisa in the central hub, tears streaming freely down her face.

"Is it Bryan or Dylan?" He asked pulling her into his arms.

Sobs racked her body as he pulled her into his embrace. She clung to him; some time in the past few months he had become her rock; she had began to trust him, love him and now he was the one she turned to. He wanted to bask in that feeling, in this place where some one loved him despite himself, but the raw feelings of panic wouldn't leave him. So he eased her out of his embrace, and made her focus on his eyes.

"Lisa?" The question was gentle as a caress against her skin. It made the tears rush back into her eyes, and her throat begin to close. She didn't want to tell him.

"Neither," she replied forcing that single word out.

Fear gripped him. He could honestly say he was a man who had never wanted children, yet when the nurse had placed Braeden is his arms; his heart changed leaving his brain to catch up. Now he felt the panic that a parent who just lost a child faced. He didn't pray normally, but he prayed now. He would pray to whatever God that would listen.

"It's Ashton," Lisa said on another broken sob.

Greg felt his world tilt, then slowly settle to right. It couldn't be all bad; he had held Ashton that morning, fed him, caught him up on world politics and watched him drift off to sleep. AJ had been steadily gaining weight, had learned to feed from a bottle and like his sister was ready to be moved DPOD.

"Lisa, what happened?" He asked with just a little frustration in his voice.

"Dr. House, Dr. Cuddy," a voice interrupted them. Greg looked up to see Ashton's primary nurse looking at them solemnly. "Dr Gilchrist needs to speak with you both."

Greg nodded to Anita, and placing his arms around his wife headed to SPOD. He stumbled slightly when Lisa turned towards CPOD, and his heart began it's frantic pounding in his chest. Ashton had been moved to the area where the most critical babies struggled for survival; what had happened in the few hours he had been gone. When Lisa moved into bay one, Greg's world once again tumbled into darkness. Bay one was were the most critical baby in the whole NICU was placed, a baby whose chances at survival were dismal; less than ten percent.

"What's wrong with him?" Greg demanded of Gilchrist when the neonatologist turned to meet them.

Greg felt like sobbing when he saw his son. There was more machinery and tubing surrounding his infant child it was hard to distinguish that there was actually a baby in the open air warmer. Ashton was on a ventilator, the gentle rise and fall of his chest belying the trouble he was in. The monitor above the bed told a horrific story in his low blood pressure, rapid heart rate and abysmal pulse ox. He had several iv lines leading to bags of fluid, antibiotics and the chilling sight of a unit of blood. The open air warmer was surrounded by plastic to increase the humidity inside and to keep the area as completely sterile as possible. All of those things combined to reveal how desperate his son's fight for life was.

"Ashton has a serious strep infection," Gilchrist said cutting right to the chase. "It has led to the development of pneumonia and I'm afraid meningitis."

House felt a light feathery touch on his shoulder and he turned expecting to see his wife's hand there; but instead he found that Anita was there offering him comfort, compassion. He shouldn't have been surprised by the fact that many of the nurses where there, many of them with tears in their eyes, pain etched on their faces.

"We are treating this aggressively," Gilchrist continued drawing House's attention back to him. "But he has a lot going against him. There is damage to his lungs from the stress of the infection and pneumonia. God only knows what havoc the meningitis will have, but I'm already on the lookout for seizures or brain bleeds. We're guarding against sepsis, and we've had to heavily sedate him."

At that point Greg had stopped listening; there wasn't anything Gilchrist could tell him that he didn't already know. His three week old son was in the fight of his life and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to help him. He felt Lisa lean into him offering her silent support, even in the face of her own pain.

"I promise you we will do everything to help him pull through this," he said to her in a fervent whisper. "We will not loose a child Lisa. I'll move heaven and earth, and beat a path to hell itself if need be."

"I know you will," she said utterly confident in the man standing next to her.

Lisa knew that Greg would take this hard. He was already stripped bare dealing with his emotions concerning Braeden, although no one would know what turmoil he was in. But she knew him, and she knew that his fear for Braeden shadowed everything he did. Now he had to deal with one more crisis concerning one of his children. You wouldn't expect it of Gregory House, but when it came to those things that he considered his, he was beyond ferocious and down right possessive.

"I need to make some phone calls," he said looking down at her. He felt his heart constrict at the sight of her tear stained face, and the fear that lurked in her storm blue eyes. He would erase all those things away, it was his silent promise to both of them.

"I can't leave him," she said glancing over at her son who looked so still. "I know we have the other..."

"One thing at a time Lisa," he replied turning her to face him fully. "The staff here will jump through hoops for you; if you need anything just ask them. Our family and friends will also be more than willing to jump in to help. Right now though one of us has to see to Braeden."

"Oh God, I forgot," she cried.

"Don't you dare," he said shaking her a little. "I'll help get him settled and ask Jimmy not to start the chemo for a few days."

"We shouldn't let him see Ashton this way. It would be too hard for him," Lisa said looking at her baby.

It was hard for her to see her child this way, she couldn't imagine how Braeden would feel looking at his little brother, knowing that he was so sick. She would shield him from this as much as she could; he had already dealt with so much and he had more yet to deal with.

"I'll bring you something to eat when I come back," he told her as he gently coaxed her into the rocker that had been set close to Ashton. "And don't even think about arguing with me about eating. You won't do either one of you any good if you collapse from exhaustion."

She smiled wanly at him, admitting defeat gracefully. Lisa knew he would be an absolute bully, forcing her to take care of herself while he took care of everything else. She touched her hand to her cheek where he had kissed her and watched as he limped out of the NICU.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

After three hours of being sequestered in his office, House hung up the phone and let the tension drain out of him. He had called Mike in Chicago to let him know that he wanted to push the stem cell project for his leg to the back burner. Lisa was under enough strain and pressure now for him to be even remotely worried about walking without a limp.

Mike reassured him that when he was ready then they would continue. He informed House that he and his team would be leaving for Princeton sometime next week, and he looked forward to meeting the quads, all of them. It had left House with a surreal feeling.

Then his parents had called and told him they were on their way back on the first available flight out of Chicago. He could hear the worry and strain in his father's voice, so he told them he would pull a couple of strings and get them back to New Jersey that night. He allowed himself a small smile; after all he had managed to have a private plane waiting for them within the hour.

"Greg," the soft voice from the door of his office snapped him out of his reverie.

He looked up to see Connie standing there with Braeden, who looked slightly sick. He wasn't sure if Lisa had talked to the boy about his younger brother, or if the idea of what he was about to experience was the reason he looked like he wanted to bolt.

"I'm going to run up and see James," she said to House before leaning down and whispering something into Braeden's ear. Greg relaxed a little as a large smile spread across his son's face.

"Don't distract Wilson too much," House called out to her. "He has work to do."

"She stopped paying attention to anything you had to say after you hired her," Braeden said settling into one of the visitor's chairs.

"Yeah, might be time to put her out to pasture," Greg replied thoughtfully.

"You're not nervous, are you?" Braeden asked him with a small smile.

"About you being pumped full of chemicals that will kill off all of your bone marrow, leave you sick, tired, weak and probably bald?" House asked him with one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, all that," Braeden responded.

"Are you?" Greg replied turning the tables back onto his son.

"Nervous? No," Braeden answered. "Scared out of my mind? Yeah."

"Same here, but we'll get through it," his father reassured him.

"I want to take a trip to the NICU before I get all checked in," Braeden said standing and slinging his bag onto his shoulder. "And you promised pictures and daily updates."

Greg heaved a heavy sigh knowing that he couldn't put this off any longer. He didn't want his son to have any more on his mind, to carry any more stress than he already did.

"We need to talk about your brother," he said coming to stand next to his oldest child.

"Is something wrong with Dylan?" He asked, concern lacing his voice. "Mom said he didn't have a good night."

"It's not Dylan, or Bryan," House said before Braeden could ask. "It's Ashton."

"But Ashton's fine," Braeden said, a confused frown on his face. "I saw him yesterday and he was doing great."

_What a difference a day makes._ House thought.

"Braeden, he has a serious infection; one that has caused him to become very sick. He's in CPOD, and things are not going very well."

He watched as the emotions played across his son's expressive face. Shock, denial, fear then grief. It was hard to watch and even harder to stand by and watch him try to cope with it.

"But he'll be alright." It wasn't as question; it was a statement born out of his desperation for his sibling.

"We don't know," Greg said touching his son's shoulder.

"I want to see him," Braeden said, determination firm in his voice.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Greg countered. He definitely didn't wish to put his son through any more pain than he already had to deal with.

"It doesn't matter if it's a good idea," Braden replied forcibly, his brows snapping together. "If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be here."

"Braeden..."

"No dad," the boy said with such force that Greg took a small step back. "Maybe you don't understand how _I_see it. If I hadn't gotten sick, there would have been no need for you to reconcile with my mother, no need for a sibling donor, no baby in the NICU fighting for his life. He's there because of me. I owe him a debt that can only be repaid through time and living a life that would make him proud. My _life_belongs to a baby who doesn't know me yet, to the possibility of the man he may never become."

"If he dies and I live, then he'll live on through me. I'll carry the gift of his simple existence inside of me. The least I can do is go to the NICU, no matter how much it hurts me, no matter how much it hurts you and let him know that I am beyond grateful for his existence. And no matter what happens I will spend everyday trying to make him proud to call me his brother."

Gregory House was reduced to utter silence in the face of how his son felt. That he had some how had a hand in the making of this fine individual was beyond insane, and truly God's way of saying _So there. _Braeden shouldn't worry about living a life his brother would be proud of; he had already accomplished that.

**So one more chapter and our story will be over. If you have a moment hit the review button and let me know what you think.**


	30. Chapter 30: The Start Of Something New

**A/N: Well my friends we have come to the end of a long road. This chapter has had so many varied endings in my imagination that I'm not sure that I would ever be able to write it to my satisfaction. I hope that you all have enjoyed this story, and I have been asked if there will be a sequel. It will probably have one as soon as I figure out where I would like to take a sequel for this tale.**

**Thank you for taking this journey with me and thank you for your many reviews. Even though this is the last chapter I still want to know what you guys think, what more would you like to see.**

Chapter 30: The Start Of Something New

Dr. Gregory House had never planned his life to go anywhere in the direction that it had. He hadn't really thought about becoming a doctor; a full time musician would have pissed his father off more than anything. He hadn't planned on falling in love with a cheeky underclassman, and leaving her pregnant with his child. And he damn well hadn't planned on being a single parent for the first 12 years of said child's life. He hadn't planned on spending five years in a relationship with a woman as a way to protect himself from what he felt for the mother of his son. He hadn't planned on working for the woman who held his heart in her hands, tormenting himself with being so close to her, yet farther away than he had ever been before. No where in his plan for his life did being a cripple ever come into play, and he sure as hell never planned on his only child becoming terminally ill. He had planned on having another child with the woman he loved beyond reason to save the life of their son, but that plan hadn't included a set of quads born too early. He hadn't planned any of it, but looking down at the small infant nestled in his arms he realized he wouldn't change any of it, especially if it meant that none of it would have happened.

"You've managed to surprise everyone with how well you're doing," he said as he held the small body of his oldest quad against his chest.

The days, nights and weeks that had dragged by, were by far some of the worse of his life. Caitlin had continued to do well and had been moved to DPOD within in the first day after AJ had plummeted. She gained weight rapidly and a mere four weeks after she was born she was home.

It had felt a little strange bringing her home while leaving her brothers behind, but it had also allowed him some time alone with his only daughter. Lisa had been a wreck when Caitlin had been released, trying to divide her time between her child at home, the boys still in the NICU, and her oldest son going through chemo. Some how they persevered and manage to get into a routine that allowed them to operate smoothly and efficiently.

Dylan had been a source of amazement, coming off the ventilator to breathe on his own, learning how to feed from a bottle and being able to maintain his body temperature. Greg was amazed when he went to visit the NICU to find that Dylan had been moved to SPOD, and that a short three weeks later he would join his sister at home.

Things with Bryan had been a little scary from the beginning, with him taking so long to take that first breath and cry, but they should have never been worried. He was one determined and gutsy little package, and being left behind by his siblings only seemed to spurn him on.

Dr. Preston had deemed that at the ripe old age of 22 days, Bryan was ready for surgery. Unfortunately his parents hadn't been. They had both been nervous wrecks, snapping and nipping at each other the hours proceeding the surgery. Once the team had wheeled Bryan out of the NICU, Lisa had almost collapsed; the strain of the last few weeks more than she could bear.

House was in agony seeing her like that, so he did the unthinkable, he sedated her. He had never played fair, and he didn't see any reason to start now. When she realized it, she was too furious for words; instead slipping into the comforting darkness and knowing that when she woke up she was going to kill him. Greg didn't care, the medication allowed her some much needed rest and he held her the whole time thanking the powers that be for leading him back to her.

After surgery Bryan wasted no time getting better, and Ashton wasted no time getting worse. As his siblings were thriving, AJ was putting them all through hell, himself included. The little boy had two seizures that Greg thanked God he was absent for; he didn't want to think about how he would have reacted had he been there.

Ashton had been in an all out war for his life; everyday brought something new, something worse for the prognosis of his survival. His temperature would skyrocket one day, and the staff would struggle to bring it down. Then when they felt they had won that battle, they would turn around to find that his blood pressure had plummeted, or his heart was racing, or his pulse ox was dismal, or his kidneys were failing; or his heart had stopped; and then one day there was nothing.

Three weeks after he had been moved to CPOD, bay one; Lisa and Greg walked in to find that there had been no crisis through the night. It had been the first night that one of them had not been there by his side, the first night that they had three babies at home. Anita promised them that if there was any change she wouldn't hesitate to call, and that they should go home, together.

"And look at you now," Greg said holding his son out for a head to toe inspection. They baby let out a cry, missing the security of being held close to his father's chest. It made Greg smile as he pulled the small body back in tight and looked into his stormy blue eyes.

"He has your eyes," he said as he felt his wife's presence over his shoulder.

It never ceased to amaze him that he was so in tune with another human being. He could pick her easily out of a crowd, eyes closed, mind wandering elsewhere. The very scent of her was stamped deep in the recesses of his body, and he reacted to the faintest whiff. She didn't know it, but he had plans for her later tonight; that was providing their brood gave them a few minutes down time.

"Yes, but he definitely has your tendency to scare the hell out of me," she replied wrapping her arms around his waist.

"We're just trying to keep you on your toes," Greg said loving the feel of her against his body. "If you don't stop that, we're going to shock your staff."

"I'm really not worried about them right now," she purred into his ear. She delighted in the feel of the shivers that coursed down his body.

"Be careful," he replied in a husky whisper. "I might drop the baby."

He turned around to face her, a smirk gracing his face. Ashton was snuggled up close to his neck searching out his next meal, and the sight made Lisa laugh. She would expect him to look awkward leaning on his cane, and holding the baby with one hand; but he looked amazingly sexy and something hot moved through her.

"Stop looking at me like that," he growled. "We don't have time for a quickie in your office."

"Just remember that you were the one to let the opportunity slip by later when you think you might be able to score," she said taking the baby from him.

He watched as she settled Ashton in the car seat that he had brought in earlier. He couldn't believe that they were taking him home, that their time in the NICU was over. The staff had come through earlier to say their goodbyes, and extract promises of frequent updates. House had tried to hang in the background, not comfortable with all the attention, but several of the nurses wouldn't let him escape. They barged into his space, freely doling out hugs and well wishes. He knew that his wife had put them up to it, and he promised revenge when they were alone.

"Are you ready?" She asked as she placed the car seat into the matching stroller.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied as they walked out of one of the NICU's private rooms. The rooms were set aside to allow parents a night in a home like setting before taking their small charges home. It gave them a sense of empowerment that they could handle these small babies, yet they still had the security of the staff of they needed.

"Does he know were coming?" Greg asked as the double doors swung shut behind them. He breathed a sigh of relief, their journey was almost over.

"I told him we wouldn't miss it for anything in the world," Lisa answered as they stepped onto the elevator.

Greg's thoughts traveled to his oldest son, and he felt several things rush through him. It was the middle of September and both their lives had changed so dramatically in less than a year. Braeden had tackled his illness with a grace and determination that House just had to admire.

Chemotherapy had left the boy so sick and tired, no one was surprised that he had come down with an infection that halted the whole transplant. Braeden didn't let that keep him down, he persevered and kept marching on. The chemo was restarted, and Brae faced it all like a champ. The constant sickness, aching cramps, not being able to keep much food down, the mouth sores, but his one bright spot was that he didn't loose a single strand of his hair.

And now the big day had finally arrived. Today he would receive the treated cord blood from his siblings, today would mark the hopeful beginning of a long and fruitful life. Greg looked down at his infant son, fast asleep in his car seat, unaware of the role that he was playing today. If things went well today, and over the next couple of weeks, he'd have a big brother worth living for.

Greg shouldn't have been surprised to see all the people grouped out front of the large observation window that looked into Braeden's room. Many of them had come to see the boy during his stay, and when he had been moved to isolation they had come just to talk to him on the phone that linked to his room. His son had many friends and a lot of family, and he was loved by them all.

"I was getting worried," Mike said as the two of them approached. He leaned over and kissed Lisa on her cheek and shook Greg's hand.

"We had to pick up one more for the party," Lis said indicating the sleeping baby.

"Well then let's get this started," he replied clapping his hands together.

"Genevieve, it's your show now," Mike said looking at a tall woman with flaming red hair and beautiful green eyes. She nodded to him once and began the preparations to enter Braeden's room.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Braeden had pulled the curtain closed over his window a few hours ago, not wanting to see the people who walked by. He knew today might be the day that they finally transferred the cord blood, but he didn't want to be reminded of the fact that he was stuck in here, while the world zoomed by. He jumped a little as he heard the door click, swing open and a tall redhead walk in.

"There's a lot of people out there," she said as she breezed into his room.

She had on the sterile garb that was required of anyone who came into his little bubble. Even though precautions could be taken to prevent him from getting sick, a strict no contact rule had been enforced and followed.

It didn't take him but a moment to take in the fact that she was carrying a white bakery box in one hand and a bag if thick red fluid in the other. He felt the muscles in his stomach jump and his heart beat a little faster.

"So today is the day?" He asked trying to keep his voice light.

"Unless you have something else you want to do," she said with a smile, placing the box on the stand in front him.

"What's that?" Braeden asked poking the box.

"We'll get to that in a moment," she answered. "Would you'd be more comfortable keeping the curtain closed."

"No," was his short answer. He watched as she walked over and drew the curtain back. He let out a small gasp at all the people who were gathered outside.

"Looks like you're one popular guy," she said turning back to face him. "My name is Genevieve, and although you probably have no idea who I am, I have heard a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you Genevieve," he said shaking the hand she offered him. "Do you work here at PPTH?"

"No, I'm a member of Dr. Crenshaw's team. It's my job to make sure that the cord blood has been properly treated and is ready for transplant."

"So, will this hurt?" He asked. He wasn't afraid of pain, but he wanted to prepare himself just in case.

"Not one single bit," she reassured him, with a light touch to his shoulder.

"Ok then, I'm as ready a I get," he said settling back against his pillow.

The process of getting the small bag ready didn't take long, and before he knew it the blood was going from the tubing into one of the ivs in his arm. Braeden didn't feel strange, or tingling, or anything and he had to wonder if it was working.

"I like to look at the time that a patient gets a marrow transfusion as a second birthday," Genevieve said looking at him. "If everything goes well, then today becomes the day that you start the next journey of your life."

"I kind of like that idea," Braeden replied thinking that it made a lot of sense.

"Then you'll like this part," she said opening the box and taking out a small round chocolate cake.

Braeden's smile was radiant as he looked at the decadent treat and read the words _Happy Second Birthday._ It meant a lot to him, so much so that her gesture brought tears to his eyes.

"Hey, don't let it overwhelm you," she said drawing his attention back to her face. "Hopefully you've reached the end of this road, and there's a long life out there with your name on it."

She gathered her clipboard, and glanced towards the window. There really was a lot of people out there rooting for this boy she had heard so much about from her boss. She wished she had more time to stay, get to know him, but she had to get back to Chicago soon. She headed for the door so that his parents could come in and visit for a while.

"By the way Braeden," she said just before she opened the door. "How old are you?"

He looked over at her, then out the window. He saw his family and many of his friends and knew that he was truly blessed to be so lucky. People cared about him, people loved him, what more could he ask for. He swung his gaze back to her, another smile lighting up his face.

"Twelve and counting."


End file.
